Spring crumble with pineapple,pecan and strawberryWilliam Meppem

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6-8

My older son,Sam,has a penchant for exotic fruits. One of his recent discoveries is the pineberry,a white hybrid strawberry cultivar with red seeds. Apart from its striking appearance,the pineberry is also notable for its pineapple-like flavour but,with a short harvest periods and low yields,it’s an expensive indulgence. Even when they’re in season,Sam doesn’t often get them. This crumble,combining pineapple and strawberry,is my answer to his desires. The pairing is uncommonly good,the aroma made even headier with the ground cinnamon and aniseed. Increase the caster sugar in the fruit mixture by a tablespoon or two if the pineapple and/or strawberries aren’t quite at their sweet peak.

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING

160g plain flour
100g soft,light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fine sea salt
120g unsalted butter,cold and cut into 2-3cm cubes,plus 10g extra (softened) for buttering the baking dish
80g pecans,toasted and roughly chopped

FOR THE FRUIT MIXTURE

about ½ a large pineapple,peeled,core removed (500g net),then sliced into 2-3cm pieces
400g hulled strawberries,halved (or quartered if they are large)
50g caster sugar
2 tbsp tapioca flour (or cornflour)
1 tsp ground aniseed (or ground cinnamon or ginger)
zest of 2 limes
1 tbsp lime juice
¼ tsp salt

To serve

double cream,Greek yoghurt or ice-cream

Method

Step1
Firstly,prepare the crumble*:place the flour,sugar,cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the butter and toss through these dry ingredients,rubbing the pieces between your thumb and fingers to break them up into smaller pieces. When the mixture looks crumbly and there are no large pieces of butter visible,add the pecans and stir to combine. Place in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.
Step2
Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Brush the 10 grams of softened butter all over the base and sides of an ovenproof baking dish measuring about 23cm in diameter by about 5cm deep,then set aside for the time being.
Step3
Place all the ingredients for the fruit mixture,except the pineapple and strawberries,into a large bowl. Mix to form a wet paste,then add the pineapple and strawberries. Toss gently altogether until fully combined,then scrape the fruit into the buttered baking dish. Remove the crumble topping from the fridge and scatter evenly over the fruit.
Step4
Place the crumble into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes,or until the fruit mixture begins to bubble up around the sides of the dish. Remove from the oven and allow the crumble to cool a little before serving with double cream,yoghurt or ice-cream.