Autumn Treats

I love crumbles and so do the kids. Actually, they love any kind of dessert really, but crumble is so nice and comforting. I've tried toppings with oats or just flour, butter versus margarine an its all nice. But since I have been on a mission to give the kids a variety of grains to try I've discovered this crumble topping which is truly yummy AND low GI.

Do what you like best with your fruit. Sometimes I just cut it up, toss it with some lemon juice and pour the topping over it. If I'm feeling very generous and decadent, I might saute the fruit in some butter and cinnamon first, especially if I include Rhubarb. At the moment I have 4 Quinces on my tree so these will be cooked first before included in my crumble.
Try Apples and Pears, Apples and Berries, Apples and Rhubard, Quinces and Apple.....the possibilities are endless in Autumn. You may also want to experiment with different spices, like vanilla instead of cinnamon, or cardamom or....I could go on forever and I will keep you posted on my experiments.

Topping:
1/2 cup rolled barley
30g plain flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
30g canola or olive oil margarine
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Process half of the rolled barley in a food processor until finely ground and resembling flour. Transfer to a medium sized bowl. Sift the plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into the bowl over the barley 'flour'. Add the margarine and use your fingertips to rub it until evenly combined. Stir in the brown sugar, pecans and the remaining rolled barley.
Sprinkle the crumble topping over the fruit in the dish. Bake for 30-40 min or until topping is golden and the fruit is tender when pierced.

Delicious with plain yoghurt, totally decadent with double cream or ice cream....