There are very few desserts that I go for, but an apple tamarillo crumble will pique my interest each and every time. Something about the acid, sweet, butter and crunchy combination that creates a little party in my heart. Tamarillos, or tree tomatoes are one my favourite fruits, available for a short season in the depths of winter. A luxurious ruby skin, the flesh is a deep beautiful red that is tangy, acetous and invariably sweet. The juice vibrantly stains any porous material. I’ve lost many wooden chopping boards and clothes to these stains over the years. However, it is not a fruit that is typically eaten raw.
My mother would lightly stew them each year on the stove top, for dessert or with yoghurts in school lunches. I like mine in a crumble covered tart where the crunch of the topping contrasts with the sweetly acidic fruit underneath. The use of apples helps provide some balance to the tart and give it structure. Some prefer to puts nuts in the topping, I like to keep it relatively simple and classic.
Serve this crumble with a little greek yoghurt or some whipped cream if you’re feeling luxurious.
Ingredients
- 2x sheets sweet shortcrust pastry
- 5x tamarillos, peeled and chopped roughly
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 apples, peeled and cored
- 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 100gm butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Scrunch up the pastry sheets and then gently, on a floured bench roll them out until you have 24 cm circle. Bake blind in the oven for 20 minutes and leave aside to cool. To make the filling, place the tamarillos in a non reactive bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and leave to macerate for 20 minutes. Thinly slice the apples and toss them in the lemon zest and juice and then the cornflour. In a seperate bowl, combine the flour, oats and brown sugar with the melted butter.
Spread the tamarillos over the pastry base, carefully sitting the apple slices on top, gently pushing them into the tamarillos a little bit. Top with the crumble and bake for 25 minutes or so until the top is golden brown.
