Greengage and Cobnut Crumble
Enjoying a brief season together, greengages and cobnuts make a lovely late summer crumble. Here I have used oats and chopped cobnuts to make the topping crisper. I have also pre-cooked it like a giant biscuit, so it keeps it crunch and needs only a short time cooking on top of the fruit. If you can’t find cobnuts, use pistachio nuts instead..
Serves 4–6
greengages 600g
sugar 75g
water 150ml
orange peel 2–3 thinly pared strips
for the topping:
rolled oats 75g
plain flour 100g
butter 100g
sugar 125g
vanilla extract 2 tsp
salt a pinch
chopped shelled cobnuts (or pistachio nuts) 4 tbsp
1) Remove the stones from the greengages Slice each section in half again to make quarters. Spread them out in a single layer in a 1.4-litre baking dish.
2) Put the sugar, water and orange peel in a small saucepan, and stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Raise the heat and boil rapidly for 5 minutes or until the bubbles start to look syrupy. Pour the syrup over the greengages and set aside.
3) Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
4) Combine the topping ingredients, except the chopped cobnuts, in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the mixture starts to form a ball. Alternatively mix by hand, rubbing the butter into the flour first then adding the rest of the ingredients.
5) Press the cobnuts evenly into to the dough then spread the mixture in a thin layer on the parchment, flattening it with your fingers.
6) Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool – it will become crisp as it does so.
7) Once the topping is cool enough to handle, break it into rough pieces and use to cover the fruit. Bake for 10–15 minutes or until the juices are bubbling.
Recipe © Christine McFadden from The Farm Shop Cookbook published by
Absolute Press/Bloomsbury |