I could write a whole book on crumbles crisps and cobblers and in it would dedicate a whole chapter to ice creams and custards to pair with them. Forget the wine, who wants to pair wine with dessert when you can pair it with more dessert? In the past raspberry crumbles have always pulled trumps with me but on a whim a few weeks ago I threw in a handful of those red pomegranate jewels and well lets just say favourites change. I love the way that they burst between your teeth and how their skins are ever so slightly bitter. It’s true that I do resemble some sort of knife victim (or perhaps I’m the slayer) after a de-seeding session with a pomegranate but I learned long ago it was worth the inevitable stains. Call it blood lust, but I get a strange sort of pleasure out of ripping them open and popping out the seeds and this time of year they are in peak form- ready for the kill, so to speak. These diamond-shaped seeds are quite remarkable to me (remember, I don’t get out much)- you can sauté, roast and bake them but they won’t give you even a hint of their juicy contents unless you put them to battle with a pointy fingernail or pair of incisors. So, match them up with raspberries, which go weak and willow at the first sign of heat and all of a sudden you have a little texture in your crumble- texture and little added bursts of flavour too. Now, you’re listening….
And since I’m going off about texture again, I added some oats, almonds and demerara sugar to the topping- mushy crumble, this is not! Of course, you could leave those added texture-gems out, douse a serving in warm custard and your guests would be none the wiser. But, my friends, sophistication is what I sought out for this crumble and a simple drizzle of fresh cold cream will do it a much better service- you’ll see. One note I should add is that I have only made this using frozen raspberries (seasons are important to me, you see) so I cannot guarantee the same results with fresh. I also do not add any sugar to the fruits, even though one might classify them as tart. Feel free to toss them in a tablespoonful or two but I think the tartness of the fruit keeps the flavours quite bold and with a crisp, buttery sweet topping and cool cream it is just about heaven in a bowl. Plus the lack of sugar makes it okay to have the leftovers for breakfast without destroying your blood-sugar levels, right? There I go talking about blood again….can you tell I had a hard week?
Print This PostRaspberry & pomegranate crumble
You can make this crumble up ahead and freeze it, then let it sit out for 30 minutes before cooking to allow the raspberries to release some of their juices.
Serves 6 meagerly or 4 with enough leftover for breakfast pudding the next day
Diet Facts: It could be a whole lot worse. Gluten free if you use gluten-free flour
For the crumble topping
85g/6 Tbsp cold butter
140g/1 cup plain flour (gluten free is fine)
50g/ 1/2 cup rolled oats
3 Tbsp Demerara or Turbinado sugar
30g/ 1/4 cup sliced (slivered) almonds
For the filling
400g/4 cups raspberries (frozen work best)
175g/ 1 heaped cup pomegranate seeds
Prep work
Cut the butter into broad bean (fava bean) sized cubes. • Measure out your crumble topping ingredients.• Deseed your pomegranate or if you purchased it pre-seeded measure out. Fill your crumble dish with the raspberries and pomegranates and mix together.
How to make
Heat the oven to 190c.375F/Gas 5.
1/ In a large mixing bowl rub together the butter and flour using the tips of your fingers until all the butter is rubbed into the flour and you are left with a mixture resembling breadcrumbs. Don’t worry about your hands being warm, this isn’t pastry and some warmth will help the butter and flour form nice clumps. Add the oats and sugar and begin to squeeze fistfuls of the mixture together, then allow them to drop back into the bowl breaking up gently with the tips of your fingers. You want the mixture to form nice clumps about the size of an almond. Gently toss through the slivered almonds.
2/ Gently scatter the crumble mixture over the fruit- don’t press it down but just make sure that it’s evenly spread. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until lightly golden on the top and there are fruit juices bubbling at the corners. If for some reason there are not fruit juices bubbling after 25 minutes, carefully pour 1 tbsp of water into each corner of the crumble (not on the mixture but on the fruit) and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with cream, ice cream or warm custard.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
mmm…I’ll take your word for it on the cream
Hey Anna! This crumble looks delish-I’m going to make it. Question-what’s the deal with the sugar? I’ve heard of the sugars you mention but have never used them. What’s the difference from regular old sugar?
Jodi- the sugar just adds some texture to the crumble and gives it a slightly richer flavour but you can use soft brown sugar or just granulated is fine too. Let me know how you get on- remember the fruit is very tart so if you like things sweeter, toss the fruit with a couple of tablespoons of sugar.
This is the best crumble ever. My absolute new favourite and everyone I serve it to asks for the recipe. That’s fun too.