Spiced Maple Pear Crumble

Crumble is one of those dishes that everybody knows and loves and really everybody ought to know how to rustle up in its most basic form. It is a classic and a staple and you’ll find one in every cafeteria, restaurant and school canteen year round in some form.

However because of this, the humble crumble doesn’t always get the praise and recognition it deserves. It can become boring, mundane and samey – not always a bad thing but there is so much more to this dessert than a bag of frozen fruit and a white flour, sugar and butter topping.

Nigella inspired me to turn up the volume a bit with strawberries and almonds in the mix, but this recipe is to turn up the notch a little more. Simple additions and swaps turn a homely crumble into a showstopping dessert, such as cardamom, smoky maple and wholesome nutty grains like rye and oats.

 

Ingredients: Serves 8

For the topping:

• 2 cups rye flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:

• 8 ripe pears
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp rye flour

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180’c/350’f and have ready a 8-9 inch baking dish or similar or miniature individual serving dishes.
2. Mix together the topping ingredients to a crumble in a bowl with a fork to give uneven pieces of rubble.
3. Core the pears, I leave them unpeeled but that’s your choice. Cut into chunks or quarters and arrange in the dish(es) and scatter over the vanilla, maple and flour and give a little toss to coat all the pears.
4. Tumble over the crumble topping, leaving it uneven but covering all the pears.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the filling is oozing out the sides and the topping is crisp and golden.
6. Serve with cool vegan ice cream or steaming custard.

Nutritional Benefits

Low in saturated fat

No cholesterol

Very low in sodium

High in dietary fiber

Very high in manganese

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