Maridol papayas (also known as Mexican papayas) are larger, milder versions of the more familiar yellow papayas. While not as sweet as their “tropical” cousins, Maridols share all of the same nutritional benefits and anti-inflammatory properties. They are also HUGE – which often leaves you wondering how you are possibly going to use the whole thing. And so that is how we ended up swapping it in for peaches in this twist on the classic crumble dessert. This recipe will use roughly half of an average-sized Maridol (less if you picked out a football-sized monster).
To further differentiate this from a standard crumble, we’ve changed up the spices a bit. Cardamom adds a warming hit to the topping that complements the sweetness of the fruit, while ground sumac adds a tart component to the filling. This is also easily adaptable to a gluten-free version (see recipe notes for details).
Best served warm, with or without a scoop of your favorite ice cream.
Maridol Papaya Crumble
Ingredients
Filling:
- 6 cups ripe Maridol papaya ,sliced into small chunks (about half of a large fruit)
- ¼ cup brown sugar ,packed
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 tsp ground sumac
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Topping:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cardamom
- 1 egg ,beaten
- ½ cup melted butter or ghee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place papaya in a greased 9”x13” baking dish. Combine remaining filling ingredients and sprinkle over fruit.
- Combine all topping ingredients except butter in a bowl. Mix together with a fork or pastry blender until the dough forms coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over papaya mixture, and then pour melted butter or ghee over the top.
- Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes or until topping is golden.
Notes
- To make this gluten-free: Use a gluten-free baking flour blend, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour (which is what we used in our version pictured here). Please note that when making the topping with this type of flour, it will not turn into dry crumbs no matter how long you mix it or much extra flour you add. Don’t panic! It will still work. Keep mixing until the topping starts to form into sticky clumps, and then crumble it by hand over the papaya mixture.
- Maridol papayas are a staple in Hispanic grocery markets and are readily available in many mainstream supermarkets. Look for papayas with orange skin that are soft to the touch – the more orange the skin, the sweeter the fruit. Very ripe Maridols may develop brown pits on the surface that might lead you to think they are beginning to rot – these are perfect candidates for this recipe.
