Feijoa, apple and pear crumble slice

Photo: Simon Lambert
Photo: Simon Lambert
This slice is a happy accident which turned out utterly delicious.

I have an abundance of apples, pears and feijoas at home and I was thinking of a warming crumble for dessert.

I then decided I needed a slice for the cupboards to keep the children full over the holidays. The tart fruit, sweetened with the addition of dates, is balanced out by the layers of the crumbly crust.

This slice could certainly double as a dessert if need be.

Prep 20 min

Cook 60 min

Makes 16 squares

Skill easy

Ingredients

Fruit filling

1.2kg combination of apples, pears, feijoa, peeled and roughly chopped

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar, plus extra for dusting

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

80g dates, roughly chopped

Crumble

500g flour

250g sugar

300g butter, melted

Method

Preheat the oven 180°C

Line a 20x30cm slice tin with greaseproof paper.

To make the filling: Place the peeled and chopped fruit into a medium-sized saucepan.

Add the sugars, spice and chopped dates, stir to combine.

Add 2 Tbsp water, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the fruit is soft and pulpy.

Remove the lid and cook for a further 2-5 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.

To make the crumble: Combine the flour and sugar together in a bowl, stir in the melted butter and mix well to combine.

Press half the crumble into the base of the tin.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.

To assemble: Spread the cooked fruit evenly over the base.

Crumble over the remaining dough, sprinkle sugar lightly over the crumble. Bake for 30 minutes.

Cool before cutting.