Recipe: Pear and Apple Crumble

We used the conference pears picked fresh from our orchard for this pear and apple crumble, but you can use almost any other fruit in season. It can be eaten cold with cream and it's a wonderful dessert eaten hot with thick custard.

Recipe feeds 6+ • Preheat oven to 200˚ C/400˚ F/ Gas Mark 6 • Vegetarian/Halal

Ingredients:
• 3 thinly sliced conference pears (optional - keep skins on, off)
• 3 peeled and cored delicious apples
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoon sugar

For the crumble:
• 75g dessicated coconut
• 75g plain unbleached flour
• 50g brown sugar
• 90g melted sugar

Method:

1. Chop the apples into 2 cm cubes and add with the pears into a saucepan over low heat. Add 1 tbsp water, simmer for 5 minutes. The fruit will soften and release their own juices for a syrup in the pan.

2. Add the sugar to the pan, stir, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes so the sugar dissolves. The recipe works without sugar but if the fruit is not sweet enough, add a little. Take the pan off the heat to cool.

3. In a glass bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, coconut and melted butter together. Change the quantities to taste, for example less or no coconut for allergies, extra sugar for sweetness, more flour if it's too wet and less butter for a crunchier topping. Mix together with a fork till the mixture's got a good texture (like cement).

4. Take the softened cooked fruit and pour with the juices into a glass bowl measuring 6 inches in diameter. Cover the fruit evenly with the crumble. Sprinkle extra brown sugar for a crunchier and caramalised topping.

5. Bake for exactly 15 minues. You'll know it's done when the edges colour and the fruit bubbles. Turn the oven off.

Eat with home-made custard or the chef's cheat. Yayy.