Sweet Treats
Laura Anderson
This is a twist on a classic crumble flavour, that added orange gives it a lovely citrusy kick. Rhubarb is right in season at the moment so now is the best time to enjoy it. Its delicate pink colour makes it a perfect centrepiece for your summer dinner party. If you want to make the colour even more striking try using a blood orange instead of a regular one. You can also try adding some ginger into the fruit or some cinnamon to the crumble if you’d like to add a little more warmth to the flavours. This is so fast to whip up and is a perfect one for beginners, no fiddling around with tricky pastry.
Ingredients
For the crumble
-100g unsalted butter, chilled
-60g light brown sugar
-140g plain flour
-2 tbsp oats
-Rind of one orange
For the filling
-50g rhubarb
– Juice of 1 orange
-60g golden caster sugar to sweeten
Preheat the oven to 200℃/190°Fan/Gas mark 6. Trim the ends off the rhubarb stalks, wash and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Place in an ovenproof dish, it can be as deep or as shallow as you like. Finely grate the rind from the orange and set it aside for the crumble. Squeeze the juice of the orange over the rhubarb. Sprinkle over the caster sugar and gently toss everything together to coat. If you like your rhubarb filling very soft you can always cook it on the hob for 10 minutes before adding it to the dish. You can also add more sugar to the fruit if you have an extra sweet tooth but don’t kill all the tanginess, the contrast with the sweet crumble is essential.
To make the crumble, cut the chilled butter into cubes then rub it together with the flour using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Some recipes suggest that you can use a food processor for this step. It’s personal preference, the processor results in a very fine crumb almost like sand. I prefer it to be a little less even, with a more interesting texture and a rustic feel! Next, stir in the brown sugar and the orange rind. Spread the crumble topping evenly over the rhubarb and orange. Mixing the oats in with the crumble could result in them soaking up the fruit juice and becoming stodgy so instead, sprinkle them on top where they will toast and add even more texture. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 mins, until bubbling and golden brown on top.
This is delicious both hot and cold with vanilla ice cream, homemade custard, crème fraiche or fresh cream.