Top it with some thick greek yoghurt & call it breakfast, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream & call it dessert...either way, this lovely crumble is not to sweet, wonderfully juicy from the perfectly ripe strawberries, beautifully fragrant from the crisp almond-y topping, & is  quite easy to throw together. Perfect for those cosy winter mornings/evenings!

INGREDIENTS

For the filling:

• 500g strawberries, halved
• 1.5 tbsp. caster sugar
• 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• juice from half a lemon, about 1 tbsp.

For the crumble topping:

• 1/2 cup (70g) plain flour
• 1/4 cup (25g) almond meal
• 1/4 cup (20g) flaked almonds
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 60g butter, cold, cut into cubes

To serve:

• Either mascarpone cheese, creme fraiche, greek yoghurt, whipped cream or even vanilla icecream!

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 190 °C
2. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling. Stir well, then set aside while you prepare the topping.
3. In another bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, flaked almonds, brown sugar and salt, and whisk to mix evenly (or use your fingers). Add the cubed butter, and use your fingertips to rub it into the dry mixture repeatedly until the mixture resembles sandy breadcrumbs. This could take a few (3-5) minutes, so be patient!
4. Pour the filling into a medium sized baking dish (or divide among two individually sized ones like the ones pictured) and spread evenly. Top with the crumble topping so that it covers the filling right to the edges of the baking dish, then bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the mixture underneath is bubbling.
5. Serve warm, topped with whichever creamy topping you choose!

Notes:

• Recipe can be easily doubled to serve a larger crowd. Cooking time remains approximately the same. 

Prep time: 15min.
Cook time: 30min.
Serves: 2.

Recipe and video created by Matters of the Belly. Click here to see her blog.