Tropical Crumble : Free and Easy Bake-Along #10, Theme : Go Bananas

My baking buddies, Lena and Zoe, and myself are going bananas for this Bake-Along. :o) We are free to bake anything we want, provided it has BANANAS.  Perfect time for me try out one of Dorie Greenspan's recipes which I have bookmarked for ages, but have never got round to it. Sometimes, a little push or encouragement is all it takes to get something done!  Ha!

Bananas, the star of our theme! And ripe, sweet, firm mangoes. 

According to Dorie, bake until the top (crumbles) turns golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Well, I baked till the top is golden brown and the fruits are really bubbling. But I did not see any crispy topping. Is the topping supposed to be cripsy, Dorie did not mention this, well, don't all crumbles have crispy topping? I should think so, at least right after baking!

This Tropical Crumble turns out to be a little bit mushy and soft, the bananas have turned mushy when I cooked them, so I ended up using three more bananas which I sliced and place over the top before I scatter over the crumble topping.  After I baked this, I then read some post from the baking group "Tuesdays with Dorie", and looks like I'm not the only one with a mushy and soft crumble! I feel that perhaps with a little less butter in the filling, it would not be so watery and mushy. And maybe, by melting the butter and sugar till brown and just toss the fruits in, might help, as once the fruits are soft, the juices would make the filling watery. On the other hand, I guess by browning the fruits, it is more flavourful and fragrant. 

But all in, whether the top is supposed to be crispy or whether this Tropical Crumble supposed to be soft and juicy, as to what the members of "Tuesdays with Dorie" said,  it tasted good. My kids love it, especially topped with vanilla ice cream. 

Let's hop over to Lena's of Her Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids to see them "going bananas" !

Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake. has decided to "Go Bananas" and join us for this  Bake-Along. Hop over to her blog to see her delicious and gorgeous Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Upside-Down Cake!

We will be baking with our next theme "Pizza Nite-In" which will be posted on 06/10. You are welcome to join in. Just post your delicious pizza on 06/10, link back to our post and leave a comment that you have join in the fun, so we can visit you right back! 

Tropical Crumble
(adapted from "Baking From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greenspan)
Makes 6 servings
For The Filling
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2-1/2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
2 ripe but firm mangoes, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 ripe but firm bananas, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick on the diagonal
1 teaspoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
grated zest of 1/4 lime


For The Streusel
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans

TO MAKE THE FILLING :

Melt the butter in a wide nonstick skillet over high heat. Sprinkle the sugar over the butter, and when it bubbles, add the mango cubes. Cook the mango for about 2 minutes, without stirring, then turn the cubes

over and add the banana slices. Cook for another 3 minutes, turning the bananas after a minute or two, until both the mangoes and bananas are browned. Keep the heat high and don't move the fruit around too much - you want the fruit to hold its shape and its texture.

Transfer the fruit and whatever juices remain in the pan to a heatproof bowl. Gently stir in the chopped ginger, ground ginger, and lime zest. Set aside while you make the streusel.

TO MAKE THE STREUSEL :

You can make the streusel in a food processor or with a mixer, but I like to make it by hand. Toss the butter into a bowl and, using a rubber spatula, work it until it is smooth. Work in the brown sugar and salt, and then, when the mixture is smooth, stir in the flour, followed by the pecans. Spread the streusel mixture on a pieces of wax paper, fold over the paper and freeze for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.

GETTING READY TO BAKE :

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie pan (regular or deep-dish) and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Spoon the fruit and its liquid into the pie pan. Remove the streusel mix from the freezer and, using your fingers, break the mixture up into topping-size chunks. Don't make the pieces teensy and don't try to make them even - higgledy-piggledy is the way to go. Scatter the pieces over the fruit.

Slide the baking sheet into the oven and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake the crumble for about 35 minutes, or until the topping is richly golden and the fruits are bubbling steadily. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and allow the crumble to cool to your preferred serving temperature - just warm or at room temperature.

SERVING :

Set out spoons, rather than forks, spoon out portion of the crumble into dessert bowls and top with whipped cream, runny creme fraiche, sour cream or vanilla ice cream.

STORING :

This is best eaten the day it is made. If you do keep it, cover it, stow it in the fridge and serve it slightly chilled.