Forgotten Fruit Crumble

Hannah Sunderani
Apr 22, 2016
4 min read

In case you haven't noticed, I LOVE to spend my weekends at the local food markets in France! Of all markets my favourite is Marché Sébastopol. It's so typical french.

What do I mean by this? This market feels like you've entered a French movie set. The produce is perfectly laid out in rows, and is so bright and fresh. Vendor owners whistle old french music (no joke), pedestrians walk at a leisurely pace, and everyone says "bonjour!" Insert Owen Wilson, and you've got yourself Midnight in Paris - Part 2.

Mitch and I have made this market shopping a Saturday morning routine. We go so often, in fact, that we've even started making friends with the local vendors! That's right, we have our "go to guys" now - where to buy the best kale, where to get our unique breads (like hazelnut, or fig and walnut, mmmmmm), and who sells the best local and organic dairy products. I have to say this market is the only place so far where we feel like we've got a handle on the French lifestyle. (Or, at least, we like to think so!)

There is one produce vendor right at the end, which is my favourite. Every time we go the owner comes around to greet us and cuts us fresh slices of juicy oranges, mangoes, creamy avocados, and whatever else he has that day. And I'm telling you, his produce is delish! I also love talking to him because he is knows his food - what time of year it grows, how long it's in season, what region it comes from. At least, I think this is what he's saying. My french is still "n'est pas bon," so sometimes I have no idea ...but I just nod along politely...

So what does this rant have to do with Forgotten Fruit Crumble? I'm getting to it I promise. The other day upon leaving my fav vendor (and my new friend) he surprised me with a BIG bag of apples and pears. "These are from my garden. It's a gift for you!" he said in French (...I think?). It was such a sweet gesture I took them repeating "merci, merci, merci," with a horrible accent I'm sure! On my walk home I realized just how heavy this bag of apples and pears was! There must have been 2 or 3 kilos. Another thing I noticed was that these fruits looked to be as ripe as can be! The pears were soft and I feared if I waited one more day they might go bad, which meant I had an entire bag to eat ASAP!

"How am I going to eat all these??" I thought. If you had seen me at this moment, you would have seen that emoji lightbulb on your smartphone appear right over my head...💡

I had the THE PERFECT SOLUTION: Make a Forgotten Fruit Crumble!

For so many reasons forgotten fruit crumble is one of my favourites desserts! But the best reason? It requires NO planning! The truth is in the name...FORGOTTEN fruit. You literally forgot you had it, and now you get to make a glorious dessert! Um, when has forgetting ever worked so wonderfully in our favour?!

Another great thing about forgotten fruit? It bakes beautifully! These fruits when cooked become ultra sweet, ooey-goey delicacies. And the aroma - irrestitable! I make this with ALL my fruits that are past their prime - strawberries, peaches, plums. You name it, I've made it. It's always delish. So don't worry if you don't have exactly apples or pears in that basket of yours. Substitute your overripe fruits with my apples and pears. And, if you don't have enough forgotten fruit you can top it up with the frozen kind in your freezer. Easy peasy!

As for the topping? They're all pantry staples! No need to do a grocery run. This topping includes everything you can find in your pantry - as long as you have flour, oats and brown sugar you're golden. If you've got some raisins and nuts, your laughing.

So next time you have forgotten fruit in your kitchen think twice about throwing it out. You'll just upset your wallet and your taste buds. Whip up this delicious dessert instead.

Apple & Pear Forgotten Fruit Crumble

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

For the Base:

6-8 small apples and pears (very ripe)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 cup raisins

For the Topping:

1/3 cup flour
2 tbsp coconut oil
2/3 cups oats
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
pinch salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Begin by peeling the skin off your apples and pears and slicing into thin pieces. Add to a mixing bowl.
Sprinkle in your cinnamon and ginger. Using your hands, gently mix the fruit in the bowl until the cinnamon and ginger has spread to all the fruit.
Pour into a 10x7 baking dish and spread evenly. Then, sprinkle on your raisins.
Make your topping: Begin by adding 1/3 cup flour to a mixing bowl. Add coconut oil and work in the oil with your fingers until well absorbed with minimal clumps.
Add your oats, brown sugar, walnuts and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
Sprinkle the topping over the apple and pears to layer evenly. If needed, use a wooden spoon to help spread the topping evenly.
Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling at the edges.