Pears and frozen berries under a crisp walnut crumble, bringing a little summer fruit into winter.
Serves 4 | Preparation: 20 minutes | Cooking: 40 minutes | Total: 65 minutes
Times include the chilling, soaking or resting stated in the method. Cooking times are a guide: check tenderness and doneness before serving.
Ingredients
500 g pears, peeled, cored and sliced, prepared weight
250 g frozen mixed berries
50 g soft brown sugar for fruit
15 g cornflour
120 g plain flour
75 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
50 g soft brown sugar for topping
40 g walnuts, chopped
½ tsp ground ginger
Method
Heat oven to 190°C conventional / 170°C fan. Mix pears, frozen berries, fruit sugar, cornflour and ginger in a 20 cm baking dish about 5 cm deep.
Rub butter into flour until crumbly. Stir in topping sugar and walnuts.
Scatter topping loosely over the fruit. Put the dish on a baking tray to catch any spills.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and the fruit bubbles in the centre as well as at the edges. Very firm pears or large frozen berries may need 10 minutes more; cover loosely if browning.
Rest for 5 minutes and serve in four bowls.
Variations and substitutions
Use apples instead of pears. Replace walnuts with 40 g rolled oats for a nut-free topping, checking other ingredients for traces if needed. Use dairy-free baking block instead of butter. Follow any package instructions requiring frozen berries to be heated before use.
Homegrown and seasonal produce
Use sound stored pears and a mixed frozen harvest of raspberries, blackberries or currants. Very tart currants may need a little more fruit sugar.
Storage and freezing
Cool promptly, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours at 5°C or below; eat within 48 hours. Freeze without cream, yoghurt or custard in labelled portions for up to 3 months for best quality. Defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Reheat only once until piping hot throughout if serving warm.
Find more ideas in the complete recipe menu. Explore our growing guide finder and From Garden to Kitchen guide, or plan your next harvest with Your Growing Companion.
Stock photograph illustrating ingredients or a serving idea. These recipes are practical ideas to try; they are not presented as all having been tested in my kitchen.
