{"id":49942,"date":"2023-03-21T16:44:17","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T20:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=49942"},"modified":"2023-05-06T18:21:39","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T22:21:39","slug":"cherry-crumble-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/people\/cherry-crumble-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Sailor & Galley: Chasing Away the Fog With a Tart Cherry Crumble"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Jean <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Jean Kerr with provisions heading out to Opus<\/i>, her 1953 28-foot, Ralph Winslow-designed, Maine-built sloop.<\/span>\n Courtesy Jean Kerr<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n\n

Fog is a fact of life along the Maine<\/a> coast, where my husband, Bud, and I cruise Opus<\/em>, our 28-foot wood sloop. One day, we were anchored in the Barred Islands, a small archipelago in Penobscot Bay. It was isolated, beautiful and peaceful. We\u2019d awakened early to a world of cottony gray, with fog so thick that visibility was reduced to near zero. A fine mist seemed to permeate everything, including our bones.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sailing in fog isn\u2019t especially dangerous if you\u2019re paying close attention to your navigation, but it can be nerve-wracking and tedious. At the time, we didn\u2019t have a reliable radar aboard\u2014and we were, after all, on vacation. We decided to stay put until the pea soup lifted, likely in a few hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For extended vacation cruising, we usually opt for Penobscot Bay because (to quote A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast<\/a><\/em>) if you \u201cdream of\u00a0perfect cruising grounds,\u00a0of islands large and small\u2026of intriguing harbors and \u00adalluring towns, of lonely \u00adoutposts lost in time…that place is Penobscot Bay.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d departed our home port of Kittery Point, Maine, on an extended summer cruise in search of all of the above, plus a few reunions with old friends in ports along our route. Fog was a familiar foe; our record for fogbound days one previous summer was nine out of 14 days. We knew that with the dampness permeating everything aboard, life would be a bit uncomfortable till the sun came out again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opus<\/em> is a true coastal-\u00adMaine sloop, designed by Ralph Winslow and built in Camden in 1953. When we discovered her for sale from a boatbuilding school in Rockport in 1984, her hull was sound, but she needed \u00adsignificant refurbishing and repair. Fortunately, Bud is a boatbuilder by trade, so tackling all this was well within his wheelhouse. We bought her and lovingly brought her back to life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among her classic charms is a tiny coal stove complete with Charlie Noble pipe on the cabin top, which we use for both cooking and heat (even in summer, Maine can be chilly). Because we were growing damper by the minute, we decided to fire it up. It was a good time to get busy in the galley and bake something quick and easy that would lift our spirits and help kill the chill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was a good time to get busy in the galley and bake something quick and easy that would lift our spirits and kill the chill.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We always carry plenty of staple dry stores aboard when cruising; I had some canned cherry pie filling, as well as sugar and flour. I had butter in the fridge. Making pie crust has never been my favorite galley activity, so I decided on an easy and relatively quick alternative: cherry crumble. It\u2019s perfect for boat cooks with a sweet tooth who don\u2019t want to spend a lot of time creating elaborate desserts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crumbles (also called crisps or cobblers) are also ideal for cruisers because any fruit\u2014canned pie filling, frozen fruit or fresh fruit\u2014will work. Apples, peaches, cherries or berries are always a good bet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the crumble baked, we were warmed in more ways than one. The baking crumble filled the salon with a delicious, buttery aroma, transforming our dank, chilly quarters into a warm, cozy refuge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bit later, as often \u00adhappens in New England<\/a>, the fog vanished as fast as it had descended. The sun burned it off, revealing a bright day. We weighed anchor and sailed west for a prearranged reunion with friends in Camden. Later that evening, they came aboard for a grilled-steak dinner followed by my fogbound crumble. The verdict was unanimous: utterly delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fogbound Cherry Crumble (serves 6)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Overhead <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Fogbound Cherry Crumble<\/span>\n Lynda Morris Childress <\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n