Christmas is coming fast and it's really cold outside. I didn't feel christmassy though. Finally last week, London received some snow which was exactly what I needed to get into the mood. For me, it's not winter without snow and I wish for a white Christmas every year. The snow has melted already and what left got frozen and covered pavements with a very slippery layer. It was quite challenging to catch a train without breaking your legs when running late. It seemed safer to stay at home with a cup of hot tea and a nice dessert.
I always miss summer fruit in winter. When I was a kid, my mum and grandma used to preserve cherries, strawberries, raspberries and apricots so we could enjoy them throughout the winter. I don't have enough space to store many jars with fruit in our London apartment so preserving fruit is not feasible for me. Instead i froze some late summer blackberries and raspberries and I was very happy to find them last week in the freezer. I decided to turn them into a winter berry crumble. It made a really lovely dessert which was gone within minutes.
It's time to announce the winner of my latest giveaway. I used random.org to pick the winner and the lucky number is 17.
Buckwheat Berry Crumble
serves 4
85g buckwheat flour
50g rolled oats
30g milled flaxseed & goji berries
80g natural cane sugar
1/4 tsp salt
80g unsalted butter, chilled
190g blackberries, fresh or frozen
110g raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp (10g) cornstarch
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
1 tsp vanilla
25g natural cane sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 180C and butter 4 ramekins.
2. In a bowl mix the flour, oats, flaxseed & goji berries, sugar and salt. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Combine the fruit, cornstarch, lemon juice, zest, sugar and vanilla in a bowl, and toss until evenly coated.
4. Place the fruit mixture in the prepared ramekins and top with the crumble.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the crumble mixture is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
6. Let it cool down for 10 minutes before serving.
Note: the recipe makes more crumble mixture than you need for 4 ramekins. Freeze any leftover mixture for use later.
