STRAWBERRY AND ALMOND CRUMBLE (GLUTEN-FREE)

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you switched up your good ol’ crumble recipe for one that uses ground almonds instead? Delicious things, that’s what.

I made this cake with ground almonds instead of flour, and it tasted so good that I made a mental note to do the flour-ground almond switch wherever possible. I didn’t remember it however, until this weekend when my parents were visiting us in Chennai. Since my dad is always complaining that he only gets to see pictures of what I cook and never gets to taste anything, I stepped up to the plate (ha) with shepherd’s pie (with a veggie pot pie version for the husband), salad, and this crumble. They say the proof is in the pudding. I think in this case, it was in the empty dish licked clean.

The nutty depth of the almonds works so well with the tartness of the strawberries. It’s easy to adapt too and can be used with any ripe seasonal fruit; just adjust sugar levels based on the fruit’s natural sweetness. I’ve made this same crumble recipe in the past using regular flour instead of ground almonds, and thought it to be good enough to blog about. This version I admit, is SO much better. Please try it. You’ll be glad you did.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better –  if you wanted to make this crumble on a whim, just mix all the topping ingredients together (I’ve listed them out separately below) and stash in the freezer. Strew on the prepared fruit and bake. Bonkers delicious.

STRAWBERRY AND ALMOND CRUMBLE (GLUTEN-FREE)

 

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Serves: 4 - 5

Ingredients

• 400 grams strawberries, hulled and halved
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 1 tsp lime juice
• Vanilla ice cream / cream, to serve
• [FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING] :
• 250 grams ground almonds
• 80 grams un-salted butter (at room temperature), cubed
• 2 tbsp oats
• 3 tbsp demerara sugar
• 2 tbsp flaked almonds (optional)
• A pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C / 360 F.
2. Toss together halved strawberries, granulated sugar, cinnamon, lime juice and cornflour in a bowl and tip into an oven-proof dish.
3. In another bowl, combine ground almonds, flaked almonds, demerara sugar, oats, salt, and butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the mixture until it starts to resemble coarse breadcrumbs (I like to have a combination of small clumps and fine bits for texture).
4. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the strawberries and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until slightly golden on top and the fruit juices are bubbling to the surface. Let the crumble cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

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