Rhubarb, pear and ginger crumble

My rhubarb plants provide plenty of fruit for puddings from March to mid-June. Fresh rhubarb comes at just the right moment when stored apples have all been used up and summer fruit is yet to ripen. We use it in tarts, pies and crumbles or simply stewed with cream or yoghurt. Now it’s time to leave the plants to grow and gain energy for next year’s crop. I’ll mulch plants with home-made compost and keep them well fed and watered. This is a favourite recipe to celebrate the last days of our tasty fresh supplies. You can also plant new crops now; why not choose different varieties to give you early, mid-season and late rhubarb? It’s a cheap and easy-to-grow crop, which is so versatile in the kitchen.

Ingredients

SERVES 6

400g rhubarb, cut into chunks 4 ripe pears, quartered 1 level tsp powdered ginger 75g soft brown sugar

CRUMBLE TOPPING:

200g plain flour 25g ground almonds 150g soft brown sugar 75g butter 1 level tsp baking powder OPTIONAL DECORATION FOR THE TOP: 1 tbsp or ½ ball from a jar of stem ginger in syrup 1 tbsp sliced almonds

Method:

Place rhubarb chunks in a saucepan with 75g sugar, powdered ginger, and 30ml water and cook for 10 minutes over a low heat. Transfer to a 28x20cm pie dish. Peel and quarter the pear and place on top of rhubarb. To make the crumble, place all ingredients in a food processor and whizz to create a fine breadcrumb texture, or rub together lightly with your fingertips. Sprinkle mixture over the fruit and top with sliced almonds, if using. Cook at 180C/ Gas 4 for about 30 minutes. Add finely chopped stem ginger to serve. You can caramelise some slices of rhubarb to decorate, too. This dish keeps for three days in a fridge.

■ Read more at www.bramble garden.com. Instagram @karengimson1.