The Ultimate Berry Crumble
This berry crumble recipe may berry well be my favorite summer dessert, with the perfect balance of sweet to tart, tender to crisp, and fruit to crumble. I don't tack the word ultimate onto just any recipe. Some ice cream on the side is highly recommended.
all-purpose flour
2
cups
white sugar
¾
cup
baking powder
¾
teaspoon
fine salt
¼
teaspoon
frozen unsalted butter
¾
cup
egg yolks
2
large
vanilla extract
1 ½
teaspoons
apple cider vinegar, or as needed
1
teaspoon
blueberries
1
cup
raspberries
1
cup
blackberries
1
cup
white sugar
⅓
cup
cornstarch
2
teaspoons
fresh lemon juice
2
teaspoons
lemon zest
1
teaspoon
cayenne pepper
1
pinch
 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  Make crumble: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Grate in frozen butter, stopping occasionally to toss butter into flour mixture until coated.
  Stir in egg yolks and vanilla with a fork until egg is mostly absorbed. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar; mix briefly. Use your hands to finish mixing, squeezing until clumps form, but mixture remains mostly dry. Add more vinegar if needed. Set crumble aside.
  Make filling: Combine blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in another large bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cayenne pepper. Mix until well combined and sugar and cornstarch are mostly dissolved.
  Place about 1/2 of the crumble mixture into the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Press mixture down using a flat cup until well compacted. Spread berry filling on top. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over berries, squeezing some of the crumble into clumps.
  Bake in the preheated oven until top is beautifully browned and berry filling bubbles, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving, about 30 minutes.
