Gluten-free rhubarb & apple crumble
Servings: 4
This is my mother-in-law Jackie’s crumble, and it’s one of my favourite ways to make use of left-over winter fruit. It’s gluten-free, making it perfect for when you’re not sure what kind of dietaries are about to walk through the door, and is also very simple to prepare ahead. The fruit can be stewed days before, with the crumble rubbed together and sprinkled over just before guests arrive – or skip the crumble and serve the blushing bowls of stewed fruit with a side of natural yoghurt or cream. Speaking of cream, I hope Jackie doesn’t mind my addition of a crème anglaise, which is just a fancy name for a runny custard. You don’t have to make it, but you’ll be glad you did.
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Ingredients
- 1.2 kg (2 lb 10 oz) granny smith apples peeled and chopped into 3 cm (1¼ inches) pieces
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) bunch of rhubarb cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) batons
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
Crumble
- 120 g (4 oz) cold butter cubed
- 100 g (3½ oz) gluten-free plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (70 g) quinoa flakes
- ¼ cup (30 g) roughly blitzed hazelnuts toasted
- ¼ cup (40 g) roughly blitzed almonds toasted
- ¼ cup (25 g) almond meal
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
Crème anglaise
- 4 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup (75 g) caster (superfine) sugar
- 1½ cups (375 ml) thin (pouring) cream
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Pop the apple, rhubarb, sugar, cinnamon stick and star anise in a large heavy-based saucepan. Pour in ¼ cup (60 ml) water, cover and simmer for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apple softens to a purée; some mild chunks are fine for texture. Leave to cool slightly, then transfer to a 6 cup (1.5 litre) baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (400°F).
- To make the crumble, lightly rub together the butter and flour in a bowl with your fingertips, then stir in the rest of the ingredients with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle it over the stewed fruit, heaping it into each nook and cranny. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the top is golden.
- Meanwhile, make the crème anglaise. Whisk the egg yolks and half the sugar in a bowl until pale. Bring the cream, vanilla paste and remaining sugar to a simmer in a heavy-based saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. While whisking, slowly pour the hot cream over the egg yolk mixture to combine. Pour into a clean saucepan (you can wash and dry the one you used) over medium– low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes, or until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, and you can put a finger through it and the streak stays put. Strain through a fine sieve and keep warm for serving.
- Serve the crumble warm, with the crème anglaise. The stewed fruit will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge.
Notes
Tips
Chinese five-spice contains all the spices you need for this dish (and a few more, so use sparingly).
For extra texture, reserve two handfuls of the chopped apple, squirting a little lemon juice over to stop it browning. Once the fruit has stewed, mix the raw chopped apple through, then bake as normal. Shortcut Poke holes in an apple using a fork, dice up some rhubarb, then microwave them with a little water on high for 6–8 minutes, until soft. Top with granola and serve with yoghurt, sprinkled with ground cinnamon. Recipe from In Praise of Veg (Murdoch Books)
For extra texture, reserve two handfuls of the chopped apple, squirting a little lemon juice over to stop it browning. Once the fruit has stewed, mix the raw chopped apple through, then bake as normal. Shortcut Poke holes in an apple using a fork, dice up some rhubarb, then microwave them with a little water on high for 6–8 minutes, until soft. Top with granola and serve with yoghurt, sprinkled with ground cinnamon. Recipe from In Praise of Veg (Murdoch Books)
