food to glow

It is the start of rhubarb season, so of course one has to make a rhubarb crumble at least once. It’s a law, I’m sure. But I wanted to amp up the nutrients, colour and flavour of my crumble with the addition of blackcurrants and apples. These two are also great for turning rather sloppy rhubarb into a gooey spoon of yum. It’s the pectin you see.  But use all rhubarb, or apple and rhubarb, or even apple, strawberry and rhubarb for a deluxe and easy spring treat.

I used blackcurrants frozen the day they were picked last summer, but do use the frozen ones from the supermarket. As for the sweetness, that’s up to you. I have erred on the side of tart but add more as you wish.

Also, although I have cooked the crumble topping and fruit separately, you can do as you would for a ‘normal’ crumble by popping the raw topping onto raw fruit and baking for 40 minutes at 180C/160C fan/350F. I like to do it separately for my nutrition groups so that I can just pull it together in the morning and reheat the whole thing for 10 minutes during the class.

The Crumble

65g (4 ½ tbsp) unsalted butter, cold and diced (or use a vegan equivalent)

2 tbsp raw sugar

130g (1 cup) spelt flour, wholemeal flour or gluten-free flour mix such as Bob’s Red Mill or Dove Farm

¼ tsp ground cardamom or cinnamon (I used cardamom)

1/8 tsp salt

50g (1/3 cup) porridge oats

3 tbsp chopped nuts or seeds

The Fruit

3 large stalks rhubarb, washed, trimmed and cut into large-bite pieces

2 eating apples, cored and diced

150g (1 cup) blackcurrants, fresh or frozen

3 tbsp date syrup OR 5 pureed dates (more to taste)

120g (1 cup) blueberries

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F.

1. First of all make the crumble by popping the chilled butter, sugar, flour cardamom and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles very coarse sand. Add the oats and pulse just to mix. You want to keep the texture. We are using the nuts later, so don’t add them now.

2. Pop the crumble mixture on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and bake in an 180C/160fan/350F oven for 15 minutes. The crumble should be a light brown. Pull the tray from the oven and let it cool, then tumble onto a plate or in an airtight container.

3. For the fruit, I like to roast the rhubarb separately (see the images) as it pulls the moisture out and makes for a less sloppy crumble. But you can break down all of the components on the hob if you wish. OR indeed, the ‘normal way’ under the crumble itself.

4. If roasting the rhubarb, pop this on a lined baking tray, sprinkle over half of the sugar and pop in the oven for 15 minutes at the same time as the crumble. Set aside.

5. Ignoring the blueberries for now, add the chopped apple, the blackcurrants and remaining sugar to a medium saucepan and gently heat until the blackcurrants are just starting to break down and the apples soften – about five minutes. There should be no need to add water, but if it begins to stick then add a touch of water. Taste for sweetness and adjust accordingly. We keep it tart and serve with custard to add contrasting sweetness.

6. Now you can just add the roasted rhubarb to the pot and give a stir before serving with a handful of fresh blueberries on top, a sprinkling of crumble and a flurry of chopped nuts. Or you may store them separately in the refrigerator and, when required, pop the cooked fruit and raw blueberries into an oven dish and top with the crumble to bake for 10-15 minutes at 180C/350F.

Serve with cold or warm custard, cream, or any vegan equivalent (here’s a link to a post from Pure and Simple Bakes reviewing numerous vegan custard recipes). Makes a stunning breakfast too.

Tip: I like to make triple quantities of the crumble mixture and store it in the freezer. This works whether it is cooked or raw.