Blueberry Nectarine Crumble

I'm allergic to peaches.  This is a problem in the summer in the mid-Atlantic, as everyone tends to, well, eat a lot of peaches.  When I was a kid I could at least eat cooked peaches - it's technically a blossom allergy and not a food allergy according to my allergist.  As I get older I am less able to deal with peaches of any kind.  Somehow, I have no problem whatsoever with nectarines.  Or, for that matter, blueberries.  So I decided to make nectarine and blueberry crumble.  The kid ate raw fruit but still hasn't accepted the idea that you would cook fruit.  Truth be told I can't say that I disagree with him - raw fruit is almost always better when its fresh and in season.  But we had a glut of blueberries and nectarines, and my husband likes baked fruit desserts, so off to the kitchen.

Ingredients:
3 nectarines, washed, pits removed, sliced into 1/8 pieces
1 lb blueberries, washed, picked over, and stemmed
1/2 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit you can increase or not
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cold, diced into pieces
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Cold water

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Toss together fruit and 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Place fruit mixture in oven safe casserole dish or baking dish.
Cut butter, flour, remaining sugar, and remaining salt together until it resembles pebbles.
Splash in cold water and continue to cut until it's just slightly a sticky dough that's loose and falls apart easily.
Place on top of fruit mixture.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden and the fruit mixture is sizzling a bit through the cracks.
Cool.
Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or plain.

Vegan Blueberry Tart

Had a party last weekend. I made a bunch of things, but the only thing that I think was really different and special was the vegan blueberry tart I made.

Vegan Blueberry Tart
Ingredients:
6 cups blueberries, picked over and washed
1/3 cup sugar, or to taste based on the sweetness of the blueberries
One stick Earth Balance Butter Sticks, or similar, cut into small pieces and popped in the freezer for 10 minutes
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Cold water, enough to make the dough dough-like, usually about 4 tablespoons
If desired, powdered sugar to garnish (I don't)

Method:
Oven to 425F.
Sift together the salt, flour, and 2 tablespoons sugar
Using a pastry blender, or a food processor, cut the buttery stick pieces into the flour mixture. It should resemble pebbles.
Start slowly adding water until a dough forms.
If things are getting too melty, pop into the freezer for a few minutes.
Grab your tart pan, and pop your dough into it. Using your *clean* hands, push the dough around the pan until it's fully covered.
Place a piece of parchment paper over the crust, weigh it down with some pastry weights or beans, and bake 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350F.
Mix together the rest of the sugar with 3 cups of blueberries. Pop it into the crust, and place the pan back in the oven for 35 minutes or so, until the blueberries have turned into jam. At least once or twice, pop into the oven and stir the blueberries.
Pull the tart out of the oven, and place the rest of the blueberries on top. Really, you could place them in concentric circles. But I don't. I actually think that's slightly crazy. They're pretty enough without perfection.
If desired, sprinkle some powdered sugar to garnish.