Berry and Rhubarb Crumbles

, from Issue #43. August, 2015
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Berry and Rhubarb Crumbles

With their crunchy spiced almond topping and ruby red sweet/tart fruit filling bubbling around the edges, these easy rustic puddings are great for any night of the week.

INGREDIENTS

Crumble
¾ cup plain flour
½ cup rolled oats
1/3 cup ground almonds
½ cup brown sugar
¾ teaspoon each ground cinnamon and ginger
½ cup sliced almonds
5 tablespoons melted butter

Berry filling
500 grams frozen mixed berries
400 grams rhubarb, sliced ½ cm pieces
½ cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

To serve
icing sugar for dusting
cream or ice cream

6 x 1 cup-capacity ovenproof ramekins

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170˚C.

Crumble: Combine the flour, oats, ground almonds, sugar, spices and sliced almonds in a bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until everything is damp. Tip onto a large plate and pinch the crumble together with your fingertips until half the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Chill until ready to use.

Filling: Put the berries, rhubarb, sugar and cornflour in a bowl and toss to combine. Add the balsamic vinegar and toss again then leave for 15 minutes, stirring often. This allows the flavours to combine and the berries to thaw and release their juices. Divide the filling between the ramekins, scraping in all the juices and pile the crumble on top, leaving some of the fruit uncovered. Place on a baking tray and cook for 25 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crumble is golden.

To serve: Place each ramekin on a plate and dust the tops with icing sugar. Serve with cream or ice cream.