Pear & strawberry crumble

Serves 6

Pear and strawberry with a sprinkle of optional chocolate chips topped with an oat and date crumble. The only sweetness comes from the fruit and dates (and chocolate if using)

Ingredients

4 pears, peeled, cored and 2cm dice (you could also use apples)

1 x 250g punnet of strawberries, hulled and cut in ½ or into 3 if really big

1/3 cup of chocolate chips (optional)

½ cup of spelt flour or gluten free flour

½ cup of oats

5 medjool dates, pitted

50g cold butter, small dice

Method

Preheat oven to 190c or 170c fan forced

Grease an oven proof dish with butter.

Blitz together your flour and dates until fine and put into a bowl. To that add your butter and using your fingertips blend the butter through the flour and date mix until it resembles biggish breadcrumbs, you still want to see some chunks of butter. Then add your oats and mix them through. Place your fruit and chocolate chips if using in your baking dish and sprinkle the crumble mix over evenly- bake for 30 minutes or until crumble is golden brown and the pears are tender. Check your crumble after 20 minutes and make sure it’s not getting too brown, cover with lid or foil if it is.

 Serve with double cream/ice cream/custard/whipped cream.

Apple and pear crumble muffins

Makes 12

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup of spelt flour

100g butter, melted

2 small eggs

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup of panella

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 green apple and 1 pear, peeled, core and 1 cm dice

1 cup of milk

Method

Put everything in a bowl and mix until just combined, don’t over mix and it. Spoon into a 12 holed muffin tin, it’s better to line with paper cases unless you have a good non-stick one, or silicon one. Then spoon over your crumble mix and bake at 180c (170c fan forced) for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Crumble topping

½ cup of spelt flour

60g cold butter diced

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ cup of panella

Method

Pulse briefly in food processor, you still want to see small lumps of butter. Or you can use your fingers and rub the butter through.