pear, berry + rose breakfast crumble

Here’s an idea: dessert for breakfast (you’re welcome). I urge you to read on and discover a recipe that can be a straight-laced midweek breakfast, or given a touch of naughty to transform it into the sweetest weekend dessert. It will truly warm you from the inside out. Either way, you’ll be getting a healthy dose of nuts, seeds, fruit and heart-loving oats! Neat, huh?

Between the screaming children demanding their morning cereal, my voracious appetite and my eyes that insist on staying closed, some mornings leave me little (peaceful) time to organise a healthy breakfast before my blood sugar goes way underground. Enter this pre-prepared crumble which can be made 4-5 days ahead, and reheated as you need. I often make this in the evening, when its (you guessed it) peaceful, and sneak in a little taste tester. You’ll find, though, that the juices will thicken and soak more into the ruby-tinged fruit if left to cool down overnight then reheated in the morning.

It only takes 15 or so minutes to reheat in the oven (or microwave it in seconds flat – I do not have this time luxury) and you can do all this whilst having a shower, mopping up cornflakes or realising you’ve no clean clothes to wear to work. Time efficient breakfast – check. Feel free to leave out the rosewater if it’s not your thing, but it does add a beautiful floral note to the fruit. Serve with natural yoghurt, vanilla labne or organic cream.

pear, berry + rose breakfast crumble – serves 4-5 – wheat free, refined sugar free

you’ll need…

• 1 large pear, or 2 small ones, sliced thinly
• 3 cups fresh/frozen strawberries, hulled
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 2 tbsp rapadura or coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla powder or 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp rosewater or to taste (optional)
• 1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup macadamias, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup pepitas
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup dessicated coconut
• 2 tbsp melted ghee or butter/coconut oil

here’s what you do…

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Toss the fruit with 1 tbsp of rapadura sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla powder, rosewater and a pinch of salt. Place into a 6 cup baking dish and spread out evenly. Alternatively, you could divide mixture between 4-5 baking dishes, baking fresh with the topping upon serving.
2. Combine the nuts, pepitas, oats, coconut, ghee, remaining vanilla and sugar with a pinch of salt, and sprinkle over fruit in baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, or until topping is golden and filling is bubbling up the sides a little. To allow juices to soak into mixture, let it cool down overnight and in the morning, take out a serving and reheat, serving with yoghurt or labne.