Berry & Apple Crumble

I made myself a promise when I was diagnosed as a Type 2 Diabetic that I was going to try to bake something diabetic friendly at least once a week that I could share with others, that we would all find delicious and appealing.   I confess that some of my experiments have been pretty blah, but occasionally I have come up with something that is really pleasing and that I feel pretty excited to share with you!  And that is the case with this delicious Berry and Apple Crumble!

 

Not only is there no sugar in it, with the exception of some truvia (which is a stevia based sweetener and has no calories) but it is also low in fat and high in fibre.



I have tried several sweeteners over the past few weeks and I quite like Truvia.   You only require half as much as you would sugar, and it doesn't have an after taste that some artificial sweeteners can have. Plus it is pretty natural, or at least more natural than some of the others.

None of them are cheap.



You use a very small amount in the filling, along with some corn flour (cornstarch) for thickening and vanilla for flavour.  I used a frozen berry mix we can buy in the shops here which has cherries, blackberries, blueberries,  and black currants in it.  I added a large eating apple, peeled and chopped.



The crunchy topping is made of rolled oats (heart healthy), flour, some more Truvia, a pinch of salt and only 3 TBS of cold butter, which divided amongst 12 servings means that each serving only has a very small amount of fat in it.   You get lots of crunch as well from the chopped pecan nuts.  Nuts are also good for you!



Altogether I would say that this experiment has been a success.  This is a dessert which diabetics and non-diabetics alike can enjoy, which is a real plus for me.  I don't want to have to be making two separate desserts for the dining table.   We enjoyed with a small dollop of bio unsweetened natural yogurt on top.  (I really like the one Yeo Valley makes.  It's delicious)

 

*Berry and Apple Crumble*

with a pecan and oat topping

Serves 12

Printable Recipe 

This delicious crisp is full of lovely flavours and is low in sugar and fat.  It's delicious. 

For the filling:

500g frozen berry mix (1 pound)

(mine had cherries, blackberries, black currants and blueberries in it)

1 large eating apple, peeled and chopped

1 TBS Truvia stevia sugar substitute

1 TBS corn flour

1 tsp vanilla 

For the topping:

45g of regular oats (1/2 cup)

70g of plain flour (1/2 cup)

30g of Truvia stevia sugar substitute (1/8 cup)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

3 TBS cold butter, cut into bits

120g of chopped pecans (1 cup)

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.

Dump the frozen fruit into a 10 inch glass pie dish.  Add the chopped apple.  Mix together the truvia and corn flour.   Stir this into the fruit mixture, along with the vanilla.  Place into the heated oven while you make the topping.

To make the topping, measure the oats and flour into a bowl along with the truvia, cinnamon and salt.   Drop in the butter and rub it into the dry mixture using your fingertips to make a coarse meal.   Add the pecans and toss together.  Sprinkle this over the partially baked fruit evenly.   Bake for 25 minutes longer, until golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.   Serve warm.

Calories:  158 per serving

Fat:  9 g

Carb: 17.8

sugars: 7.2

fibre: 3.2

protein:  2.5

How do you like my new Joseph Joseph Work Top Saver that I got from Red Candy?



The Joseph Joseph Union Jack Work Top Saver is a kitchen accessory that the anglophile in me finds totally delightful!   Colourfully cheerful, patriotic and useful all at the same time!   Made of toughened glass, this super worktop saver is excellent for chopping, serving and generally looking brilliant!  It also has rubberized feet on the bottom which prevents it from sliding around! (A real plus when it comes to safety in the kitchen.)  It also makes an excellent hot plate, withstanding temperatures up to 280*C.  It's also dishwasher safe and has a lifetime guarantee against breakage!.   You can get them at Red Candy for  the low price of £16.  I cannot think of anyone that wouldn't love to receive one of these underneath the tree this Christmas!  I think it's just fabulous!



 I've also been using this Joseph Joseph Nest Measure, 8 piece measuring set for a lot of my cooking these past few weeks.   Once again from Red Candy, this  set of measures exemplifies all that I love about Joseph Joseph with their colorful and innovative designs.




Colourful and compact, this eight-piece measuring cup set is an essential gadget in the armoury of any serious cook or baker and is just perfect for the kitchen which is short on space like mine is!Featuring cups measuring 250ml, 125ml, 85ml, 60ml, 15ml, 5ml, 2.5ml, and 1.25ml, the handles easily snap together when not in use, meaning this stylish set can easily be slipped into a cupboard or drawer.  At only £10 for the set from Red Candy, this would make a fabulous Christmas gift for the keen cook and budding baker in your home or family! It is also dish washer safe.



These past couple of weeks I've also been making great use of my red coloured KitchenAid Euro Peeler, again from Red Candy.




With a sharp stainless steel blade that smoothly slides across surface of veggies, this KitchenAid Euro Peeler feels really nice in the hand. It's comfortable and does an excellent job of peeling vegetables and fruit. It also has a plastic sheath guard to help keep your fingers safe from being cut when not in use.  It's dishwasher safe, with a stainless steel blade and just feels nice in the hand.  Weighty and sturdy this is probably the nicest vegetable peeler I have ever had, and well worth the £10 it costs.  I would call this the cadillac of vegetable peelers.  I just love it!  This would be the perfect stocking stuffer!

Many thanks to Red Candy for sending them to me.



 If you are looking for Christmas Gifts for friends and family,  I would highly recommend Red Candy.  They don't only deal in kitchenality . . .  they have everything on their site from photo frames to kettles, wall decor and clocks.   In short there is something for just about any taste and at pretty decent prices, with good service and quick delivery times.   Red Candy has The English Kitchen Two Thumbs Up Vote of Approval.

Note - although I was sent these two items free for review, I was not required to write a positive review of either the items or the service.