This warming Apple, Plum & Dry fruit crumble is the ultimate comfort food. Serve with cinnamon cream and pour a little fruit sauce over it and enjoy. It's the perfect "go-to" recipe.

Ingredients :

• Juice of 1-2 lemons


• 6-9 apples (standard size)


• 9-12 plums (or c/a 3 plums per pair of apples)


• 1-2 handfuls of dry fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, figs, etc)


• Ground cinnamon


• 125-250ml date syrup (organic) or to taste

Crumble:

• 75g flour (plain or any other)


• 25g finely ground almonds


• 25g crushed almonds


• 25g crushed pecans


• 50g softened butter (or vegetable margarine for vegan version)

Topping:

• 250-300ml whipping cream


• 1 tsp ground cinnamon


• Date syrup to taste


• Fruit sauce (juice from the cooked fruit)

Cooks In : 1 hour and 30 min

Difficulty : Easy

Preparation Method :

Fruit base:
1. Wash and core the apples and cut off the ends (stalk and blossom end). You may peel the apples, or leave the peel on (it contains lots of nutrients). Cut the apples into 1cm thick rings and sprinkle some lemon juice on top to keep them from turning brown.
2. Wash the plums, remove the stones and cut them into even, half-centimetre thick slices.
3. Remove any hard bits from the dry fruit and chop it up (if you wish, you can soak the dry fruit in water for a couple of hours to soften it).
4. Place a layer of apple rings on the bottom of the pot and sprinkle them with some more lemon juice. Add a layer of plums, then a layer of chopped and mixed dry fruit. Generously dust with ground cinnamon and pour some date syrup on top. Repeat until you have used all the fruit.
5. Add a little water (about 70ml - do not pour it over the fruit but on the side), cover with a lid and cook on low to medium heat until the fruit softens but is not mushy (about 20-30min). When ready, place the pot on a heatproof surface and let it cool down. While the fruit is cooking, prepare the crumble and the topping.

Crumble:
1. In a mixing bowl combine the flour and ground almonds.
2. Add softened butter and work it with your fingers into the flour and almonds mixture until it resembles coarse sand.
3. Add crushed almonds and pecans and gently mix it all up with your hands. Break down any large lumps.

Combine the crumble:
1. Drain the juice from the fruit and put it to the side as you will need it later as a fruit sauce. It should have a syrupy consistency and velvety taste. If it is too liquid, cook in a saucepan on low to medium heat until it reduces to desired consistency.
2. Spoon the cooked and drained fruit into the ovenproof dish and smooth the surface with the spoon.
3. Preheat the Durane Halogen oven for 5 minutes - turn the thermostat to 250 degrees and timer on for 5 minutes.
4. Reduce the temperature to 175 degrees and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the crumble looks golden brown and crispy. To extend the cooking time, simply turn the timer to the required time.
5. During cooking you may lift the lid and place it on a heatproof surface and gently mix the crumble in order to brown evenly.
6. Once the crumble is done, let it cool down inside the halogen oven then carefully take it out using the oven mittens and supplied tongs. The dish will be very hot so take care to place it on a heat-proof surface.

Topping:
1. Using a Blitz Hand Mixer, whip the cream together with some cinnamon. When it starts firming up, add date syrup to taste and continue whipping at a lower speed.
2. Fruit sauce – drained juice from cooked fruit.

Serving:
1. Serve the crumble with some cinnamon cream and pour a little fruit sauce over it.

Tips :

Have you noticed we haven't added any sugar? If you like your crumble very sweet, use some stevia alongside the date syrup or honey.