If at first you don't succeed...

I tend to only write a post when I perfect a dish, but actually sometimes I think it's nice to blog anyway, ultimately it's about the journey not just the destination. If you don't make mistakes how will you ever grow and learn. That's as true for cooking as it is for every walk of life, but perhaps that's too deep for a food blog! 

Sorry, I digress, so today I made a healthy fruit crumble. I mainly did it for the kids. Normally when I see things that say gluten free, refined sugar free or dairy free I just think #boring (Note: I am living my life through hashtags at the moment, I think they add a sense of occasion)! But for the little ones I try to control the two obvious food enemies - sugar and salt. It's salt that I am particularly paranoid about. Children's kidneys are just too small to process vast quantities of it. Sugar is trickier. I'm not that panicked about obesity just yet. We eat well most the time and I try to get some exercise into our daily routine. And I think if you ban something they just want it more. Forbidden things are always more desirable, another trend that runs through most walks of life! But I do worry about cavities. 

I had to have a filling a few weeks ago. My first one in 10 years. I was gutted. I don't want my children to go through that any time soon. And the only way to prevent it is good brushing and avoiding things that cause tooth decay, namely sugar. Now this is hard. Sugar is everywhere, even in healthy options such as fruits. But it's the refined/added sugar that's lethal. Avoiding sugar makes finding interesting desserts a bit of a challenge. Hence my healthy fruit crumble. No added sugar and a healthy oat and almond topping. The verdict was a mixed bag. SG is too small to have much of an opinion. He just gave me his winning smile after every mouthful. CM made a face like she was sucking lemons and asked to get down from the table after two bites. N loved it. I think it could use some improvements. Maybe sweeter fruits. Perhaps a natural sugar source (honey or maple syrup) mixed with the oat topping to provide a more crunchy granola consistency. I will try it again one day and let you know how it goes. This recipe is work in progress. 

Recipe

 

Ingredients 

Apple - peeled, cored and cut into cubes 

Frozen mixed berries 

Cinnamon 

Nutmeg 

Water 

Porridge oats 

Butter

Crushed flaked almonds 

Vanilla powder 

Method 

- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees fan 

- Put the apple, berries, cinnamon, nutmeg and a tablespoon of water into a saucepan and stew over a low heat until the apples become soft and it forms a jam like consistency 

- in a separate bowl mix the porridge oats, butter, almonds and vanilla powder until everything is coated in butter and starts to stick together 

- transfer the fruit mixture into a greased oven proof dish 

- top with the oat mixture 

- bake for 30 mins