Summer Fruit, Honey, and Hazelnut Crumble

By harlan-2

In Anglo-Saxon times, a baked dessert like this would have been sunk in the embers of the log fire with a cauldron or pot upturned over it to form a lid.

Ingredients

• 1 kg mixed soft summer fruits(raspberries, loganberries, strawberries, currants, bilberries or whatever is available)
• Honey or brown sugar to taste
• 75 kg tasted hazelnuts
• 75 kg wholemeal or wholewheat brown breadcrumbs

Preparation

Step 1

Put the fruits in a pan or microwave dish with about 2cm water in the bottom and cook gently fo 10-15 minutes(4-6 minutes in microwave), or until the fruits are soft without being totally mushy.
Sweeten to taste with honey or brown sugar (the Saxons would have used doney); how much you need will depend on which fruits you have used.
Drain the excess juice and save to serve with the pudding.
Next, chop the hazelnuts in a food processor or liquidiser until they are almost as fine as the breadcrumbs, but not quite, then mix the two together.
Spoon the fruit int an ovenproof dish and cover with a thick layer of hazelnuts and crumbs.
Bake in a moderate oven (180C, 350F. Gas Mark 4) for 20-30 minutes or till the top is slightly crunchy and browned.
Serve with lots of cream or plain yogurt and the warmed fruit juices.