Rhubarb & strawberry crumble with no-butter topping
I really like fruit crumble. My mum makes a mean one. But they tend to be sugar and fat packed. This was my attempt at a low-fat, low-sugar alternative.
I started by whacking the rhubarb in a saucepan with unrefined golden caster sugar and some strawberries. The natural sweetness from the strawberries meant I could cut down on the amount of sugar needed to balance the sourness of the rhubarb. I reckon 500g of fruit and 50g of sugar is about right. I kept the fruit on the heat for about 15 mins, until the rhubarb was soft but just about still holding its form.
My crumble topping is courtesy of this nice little recipe I found by searching online. Although there's still a fair bit of sugar in this recipe (I'm yet to experiment how maple or brown rice syrup would work texturally in a crumble topping), it's rapadura sugar. Rapadura sugar is unrefined and higher in nutritional value to regular sugar, retaining most of the natural vitamins and minerals. It's also got a really yummy caramely flavour. You can find it in most health food shops. The most important thing is that I didn't miss the butter at all in this crumble. The perfect way to cut a few calories while still enjoying a classic comfort dessert. Yummy with a slodge of yogurt/froyo/ice cream/custard/cream - whatever floats your boat.