I love a good crumble and this is the richest one of all that I make. The marriage of pear and chocolate is a blissful one, and here the chocolate buttons melt in delightful patches throughout the crumble as it bakes. While I suggest making the crumble topping in a food processor, I do find that when I have time, rubbing the butter into the mix with the tips of my fingers is very good therapy!
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg semi-ripe Beurre Bosc pears, skin on and cored
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 80 g good-quality dark chocolate buttons (70% cocoa solids)
- 1 finely grated orange zest
- Cream, to serve
Crumble Topping
- 3 tablespoons raw sugar
- 1/3 cup (50 g) wholemeal spelt flour
- 1¼ cups (100 g) flaked almonds, finely ground
- 120 g cold unsalted butter, diced
- ¾ cup (65 g) organic rolled oats
- Pinch of sea salt flakes
How to Make It
- To make the crumble topping, place the sugar, flour, ground almonds and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the butter starts to bring the mixture together. Add the oats and salt and pulse until a crumble consistency forms (do not overwork the mixture or it will form large clumps). Refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced).
- Cut the pears lengthways into 7–9 mm thick slices. Heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium– high heat. Add the pear slices and saute until golden (depending on the pears this might take up to 30 minutes). Place the pears in a 25 cm baking dish. Sprinkle over the chocolate buttons and orange zest. Top with the crumble mixture, then bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with your choice of cream.