Foodie and food writer for a favorite site, Food 52 (www.food52.com), Emma Laperruque, shared some delicious ideas for customizing your streusel topping. Who knew that pebbly, crumbly, buttery topping you scatter like flower petals over pie, coffee cake, and dome-topped muffins had so much potential?

First though, let’s get on the same page with Emma’s basic recipe for this perennial favorite:

BARE BONES SWEET STREUSEL TOPPING (yield: 4 cups)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

8 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Mix dry ingredients well, then cut in butter. Be careful not to over-mix. You only want a crumble, not crumbs.

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With the basic recipe in place, you can now get creative. Use this chart to customize your streusel based on your favorite flavors.

Emma adds a note on the mixing order: Streusel is rustic by nature, so the only crucial step is under-mixing (too dry) or over-mixing (too cohesive). Any "bonuses" can be included with the other dry ingredients, and the fat should always be last thing you add.

Besides using it as a topping for fruit pies, or muffins, or fruit crisps, sweet streusel is also wonderful topping ice cream, puddings, and cooked oatmeal.

But what about running in the other direction with streusel, all the way to destination salty and savory? Lower the sugar and add some umami oomph—say, chili powder or potato chips—and streusel adopts the role that we normally default to breadcrumbs. Except—without bread as its base, holding it back—it’s more adaptable. (And more buttery!)

Savory streusel takes just minutes to mix together and can be baked straight from the freezer, where it keeps for months. It can be piled onto savory pies or galettes, casseroles or gratins. Or bake the streusel on a sheet tray until it turns to a “crunch,” and then toss it over salad, soup, or pasta dishes.

Emma’s master recipe for savory streusel is meant to be played with. Recklessly. She advises, “Knock it apart and build it back together like Leggos.”

BASIC SAVORY STREUSEL (yield: 4 ½ cups)

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt, to taste

12 ounces cold unsalted butter, cubed

Mix dry ingredients well, then cut in butter. Be careful not to over-mix. You only want a crumble, not crumbs.

Enma explains that while the sweet streusel recipe is lovely on its own, the savory needs to be dressed up. Here’s her variation table for mix-and-match ideas, and the flowchart for recipe pairings:

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For savory pies, mound 1 to 1 1/2 cups of streusel on top before baking. You can scatter savory streusel over casseroles and gratins about 20 to 30 minutes before you'll be pulling the dish out of the oven.

And in closing, let’s go back to that savory “crunch” mentioned earlier: Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silicone mat. Spread streusel into a single layer (use two baking sheets if you have to) and bake until the streusel begins to brown and crisp, about 20 minutes total, tossing with a fork halfway through. It will continue to crisp as it cools. Cool completely before sprinkling it on everything from pasta to salad, or baked fish to soups. You can even serve it as you would a snack mix or salted nuts. Store in an airtight bag or jar for up to 3 days.

Remember Emma’s advice: “Play with these recipes. Recklessly. Knock it apart and build it back together like Leggos.” See what you can come up with by giving streusel a new twist on this old and time-honored theme!