I spoke, recently, about my regret of not taking advantage of the summer fruits this season. Summer moments were rare and fleeting, and while I had hoped for a bit of the sunshine this September, to make up for the wettest August in history, I think I need to let go of that wishful thinking.
So here I am, despite the weather, having a last ditch attempt to make something summery. I mainly used strawberries, but I had a few leftover raspberries and blueberries, so I chucked them in too. I then topped the oaty crumble with pistachios, both for colour and crunch. A drizzle of balsamic was added to really make the flavours sing, along with a sprinkling of brown sugar to caramelise and add even more sweetness.
A hybrid of summer flavours and warm comforting pudding makes this crumble the perfect transition from summer to autumn, despite autumn starting mid-august.
Whenever I make a crumble, I always cook the crumble topping in the oven first, to make sure it goes really crunchy and there are no uncooked soggy bits where the fruit meets the topping. You can, of course, skip this step and just put the uncooked crumble mixture on top of the fruit, just adjust the cooking times accordingly.
For the Crumble:
- 240g plain flour
- 120g caster sugar
- 120g dairy-free butter (such as stork baking block), cut into squares
- 6-8 tbsp oats
- Handful of chopped pistachios (optional)
For the Fruit:
- 300-500g summer fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, red currants, blackberries, blueberries
- 75g brown sugar
- 3 tbsp tbsp cornflour
- drizzle of balsamic vinegar (optional)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180oc and line a large roasting tin with greaseproof paper
- Begin by making the crumble; stir together the flour and sugar then add the cubed butter and rub the mixture together to create ‘breadcrumbs’, it doesn’t have to be very fine breadcrumbs, I like to have larger chunks for added crunch. Stir in the oats.
- Spread this mixture thinly over the large tin (use two tins if you have to) and bake for 15-20 minutes until a light golden brown
- Meanwhile, prepare the fruit by mixing all the ingredients together and putting into a large casserole dish or ovenproof bowl
- Once the crumble is a light golden brown, remove from the oven and pour on top of the fruit, taking care as it will be hot. Top with the pistachios, if using.
- Place back in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the fruit is soft and the juice is bubbling
- Wait until it cools down slightly before serving.
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