My mother made this desert with apples exclusively. I am not a huge apple fan and though I enjoyed her rendition, I began to experiment with other fruit, discovering a few combinations I prefer. We can eat this dessert at room temperature or warm. I have been known to eat the leftovers right out of the frig and that is not so bad either. USE FRESH FRUIT PLEASE!
Blend 1 cup of softened unsalted butter, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 tsp of cinnamon.
Place fruit in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. The fruit should be roughly 3/4-inch, up to 1.5 inches deep. I usually make it about 1 inch deep.
Option 1: Six medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced.
Option 2: Mixed summer berries (about 3 pints). I have used raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries and even strawberries with success. If using sweet berries be very careful not to overcook or it will get sticky and hard.
Option 3: 12 halved fresh apricots and one pint of mixed berries.
Option 4: 12 halved fresh apricots and six quartered fresh peaches
Option 5: Experiment with what looks good.
Sprinkle fruit with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of brown sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Pour 1/2 of cup of water over apples. If using other fruits, cut back on the water a bit, depending on the juicyness. For berries I usually use 1/4 cup of water.
Spread the flour mixture over the fruit.
Bake at 375-degrees for about 40 minutes. It should begin to turn slightly brown on top and be bubbling. In some ovens, I have had to adjust cooking time to as much as 60 minutes, but never less than 35 minutes.
Top with ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
