A warming Winter crumble

Ingredients

• 500 g stewed, preserved or tinned fruit
• 75 g softened butter (cubed)
• ½ cup flour (75 g)
• ½ cup rolled oats (40 g)
• ½ cup coconut (50 g)
• ¼ cup brown sugar (50 g)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp mixed spice

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 170˚C fan-bake.
• Place the fruit in the bottom of an oven-safe dish (approximately 20cm x 15cm).
• Blend the butter with the dry ingredients – either place everything into your kitchen whizz and blitz, or in your cake mixer with the whisk attachment. Alternatively, simply use clean dry hands to rub the butter into a crumb mixture.
• Sprinkle the crumb evenly onto the prepared fruit and place into the oven for 20 minutes or until it is golden brown and the liquid is bubbling up through the crumble.

Stewing Seasonal Fruit

Ingredients

• 500 g fruit
• 4 Tbsp water
• 4 Tbsp sugar

Instructions

• Wash and cut your fruit up into chunks.
• Remove any blemishes as well as any stones and pips.
• Place in a heavy-bottomed pot with the water and sugar, and simmer on a low heat.

Tips and tricks

• You can make this crumble topping in advance and keep it in a labelled airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. It is easily doubled so you are doubly prepared.
• Tinned peaches, pears, apricots, and plums are delicious if you don’t have any stewed fruit stashed away.
• I often use my crumble mixture as a gift. Place the mixture in a clean jar and tie with a pretty bow. Gift with a jar of preserves or tinned fruit.
• Make your crumble seasonal by using whatever fruit is falling.
• You may need more sugar depending on the fruit you are using. Just taste and add as you need.
• When the stewed fruit reaches a runny bubbly consistency it’s ready for your crumble.

Philippa Cameron is the station cook on her husband’s family farm, Ōtemātātā Station in the Waitaki Valley; and the mother to two beautiful daughters who will be the sixth generation to treasure this sparse and beautiful high-country environment. Alongside cooking and running her successful social media business What’s For Smoko she has published two books, A High Country Life and Winter Warmers.