Gluten Free Apple, Pear and Date Crumble (with a Lemon, Crystallised Ginger and Walnut Topping)

Gluten Free Apple, Pear and Date Crumble

(with a Lemon, Crystallised Ginger and Walnut Topping)

Photography By Ctrl Alt Delete Design Solutions. Copyrsight © 2017. All rights reserved

Ahhh the humble Crumble-you couldn’t get any more traditionally British if you tried! A hearty warming dessert typically served with lashings of hot vanilla custard; it takes me back to my childhood of chilly Autumn Sunday afternoon’s sat with family around the dinner table, wrapped up in fluffy jumpers and deep in conversation over happenings to come of the week ahead. OK enough already!

For those of you unfamiliar with what a crumble actually is, let me explain. Basically it’s a medley of stewed fruit (usually seasonal) spiked with sweet spices and dried fruits topped with what is if we really boil it down-crumbled pastry if you like, which is then baked in the oven until golden and the fruit oozing and bubbling over the top all lovely and jammy…mmmm…cruuuummmble…

Sweet, and jammy with caramel notes, this I feel is up there with one of my favourite desserts. The Dates give it a real rich depth of flavour and extra sweetness whilst the Apples and Pears give it a delicate finesse that is really complimentary! (you won’t need to add any extra sugar for the filling, trust me!). The topping really is the icing on the cake with this dish, crunchy and nutty with little bursts of moreish intensity from the crystallised ginger pieces.

What Do I Need?

Safety Peeler

Cooking Pan

Medium Size Ceramic OR Glass dish of any shape

Large Mixing Bowl

Measuring Scales

Measuring Spoons

Grater

Chopping Knife

Ingredients

For the Fruit Filling:

4 Large Sweet Eating Apples (I like to use Braeburn) peeled, cored and roughly sliced.

1 x Large Conference Pear peeled, cored and roughly sliced

50g pitted Dried OR Fresh Dates Roughly chopped

Splash cold water

For the Crumble Topping:

200g gluten free flour blend

75g Soya Butter

¼ tsp. Sea Salt

100g Demerara Sugar

50g Walnuts roughly chopped

4-5 cubes Crystallised Ginger roughly chopped

Zest and juice ½ lemon

Splash cold water

1.5 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Method

For the Fruit Filling

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees c (180 degrees C gas)

Add a splash of water to a large cooking pan, turn the heat to medium then add the prepared Apples and Pears; cover and let simmer until just tender.

Pour the cooked fruit along with any juices and the chopped Dates into a medium size Ceramic or Glass Dish, stir in the cinnamon until all the fruit is well coated then set aside.

For the Crumble Topping.

Place the Gluten Free Flour and Soya Butter into a Large Mixing Bowl and rub together with your fingertips until a breadcrumb texture is resembled.

Stir in the remainder of the dry ingredients, and then grate in the lemon zest.

Stir in a splash of Fresh Cold Water along with the fresh Lemon Juice; mix to form rough lumps of nutty gingery loveliness.

Scatter the crumble mixture over the top of the fruit filling prepared earlier, packing it a little with a dimpling motion with your fingertips; then place in the oven and let bake for about 30 minutes OR until golden and the fruit bubbling up around the edges (don’t panic if this doesn’t happen, it could be that there are no gaps OR cracks created in the cooking process t allow for this).

Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving with lashings of hot Vanilla Custard.

Further Serving Suggestions

This crumble is equally delicious served cold with Soya Cream, Dairy-free icecream OR plant-based Yogurt and a drizzle of Maple Syrup OR Agave Nectar for the extra sweet tooth!