Quince and Pear Crumble

I’m making the most of quince season which is all too short! This sugar-free, oil-free crumble is the perfect dessert for a cold winter night.

Ingredients:

1 cup date paste*
1 large quince, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 ripe pears, cored and chopped
1/4 cup date sugar^
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp wholemeal flour
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
3 tbsp tahini
Optional: plant yoghurt to serve (I make soy yoghurt from Bonsoy and dairy-free yoghurt culture)

Method:

Place prepared quince in a cast iron or stoneware pan, pour date paste over, sprinkle with spices, and cook at low temperature for 30 minutes, basting quince regularly with date paste. Add prepared pear and continue simmering for 30 minutes or until quince and pear are both tender.

Meanwhile, to make the crumble topping, place date sugar, rolled oats, flour and coconut in a medium bowl and stir together. Rub tahini in with fingers until it is distributed through the dry ingredients.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

If frying pan is ovenproof, spread crumble topping evenly over stewed fruit; if not, transfer the stewed fruit to a casserole dish and top with crumble mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until crumble mixture is just beginning to brown.

Spoon crumble into serving bowls and top with plant yoghurt if desired.

* To make date paste, soak 1 cup dates in 1 1/2 cups boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Blend at top speed until completely smooth. Leftover date paste can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

^ Date sugar is the healthiest sweetener going. I buy date sugar from iHerb. If you don’t already have an account with iHerb, you can use the coupon code UTE208 at checkout to get $5 off your first order.