Summer Cherry & Crystallized Ginger Crumb Bar Recipe

My first job, at the ripe old age of nine, landed me in the middle of a cherry orchard in the fruit-laden Okanagan Valley in the interior of British Columbia. Family friends had rented a house for the summer on the shores of the Okanagan Lake and invited me to join them for several idyllic summer weeks. Their daughters and I wiled away the hours practicing circus routines for our generous audience, swimming and canoeing in the lake, and keeping ourselves entertained by spitting on fist-sized rocks and hurling them into the lake for Jeb, the enormous Newfoundland dog, to sniff out and retrieve. No matter how far we hurled our saliva-scented stones, we could never outfox that dog. He came back holding the correct rock in his soft mouth every time.

One day, when we were visiting a local orchard, the man who owned acres of fruit trees saw the slightly harassed looks on the faces of my friends' parents. That will happen after spending a couple of weeks with a couple of 9-year olds and a 7-year old. He offered to pay five cents per basket of cherries that we picked. Despite the flagrant child-labor prices, we accepted immediately. That night, we sat down to figure out how many cherries we would need to pick to save up for our favorite candies at the local store. Of course, those were the days that you could buy a bagful of gummy bears, Pop Rocks, and Fun Dips for a dollar. We tackled our task with relish for a couple of hours each day and, by the end of the week, had a hearty supply of sweets to fuel our even heartier supply of energy.

These crumb bars are based on my Spiked Blueberry Crumb Bar recipe. The rum, however, is replaced with chopped pieces of crystallized ginger, which add a zing of heat to the sweet fruit.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine 5 cups of fresh, pitted cherries, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 4 ounces chopped crystallized ginger, ½ cup granulated sugar and 4 teaspoons cornstarch. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, combine ½ cup each of granulated sugar and brown sugar. Stir in 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg. Cut in 1 cup (2 sticks) of cold butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Whisk one egg in a small bowl and stir into the flour mixture.

Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the cherry mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the rest of the flour mixture over the cherries.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is light brown. Left the bars cool on a rack and then place the fridge to chill. This will make the bars easier to cut and remove from the pan. Cut into 32 squares and serve.

Other summer dessert recipes:

Homemade Ice Pops (Fresh Fruit)
Cherry Garcia Profiteroles (Cream Puffs)
Grilled Pineapple with Maple Rum Sauce

Summer Cherry & Crystallized Ginger Crumb Bars

5 cups fresh, pitted cherries, cut in half
3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 oz. crystallized ginger, chopped
½ cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoon cornstarch

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine cherries, lemon juice, crystallized ginger, ½ cup sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, combine ½ cup each of granulated sugar and brown sugar. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Cut in cold butter pieces with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Stir the egg into the flour mixture.

Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the cherry mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the rest of the flour mixture over the cherries.

Makes 32 squares.

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