Katherine Sabbath's Deliciously Simple Spiced Pear and Strawberry Crumble

Welcome to Put on a Spread, a recipe series that takes you inside the kitchens – and dining rooms – of some of our favourite home cooks. For this instalment, master baker and dessert extraordinaire Katherine Sabbath shares her recipe for a deliciously simple pear and strawberry crumble.

When it comes to mastering simple desserts, you'd be hard-pressed to look past the humble crumble - and that's where Katherine Sabbath's foolproof recipe comes into play.

Using just one bowl, one baking dish, and minimal effort, the end result is a crisp, buttery crumb atop a juicy layer of stewed pear and strawberries. Lightly spiced with the warming flavour of cinnamon, this is a sweet and satisfying end to any meal – or long day at work.

Served with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of custard or creme fraiche, this homely, utterly-delicious, fruit-filled (ergo, healthy!) recipe is one you'll come back to time and time again. 

Serves: 10 - 12

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 600g pears, cored and thinly sliced
• 500g strawberries, chopped (fresh or frozen is fine)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the crumble:

• 250g unsalted butter
• 230g plain flour
• 100g rolled oats
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 170g caster sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C (350°F) fan-forced. To make the filling, combine the pears, strawberries, lemon juice and cinnamon in a large bowl. Transfer to a 1.5L baking dish.

Melt butter using the microwave (in 30-second intervals, stirring in between) or double-boiler method. Place the flour, oats, nutmeg and sugar in a large bowl. Pour the butter into the bowl and mix until combined.

Using clean hands or a spoon, sprinkle the crumble topping over the filling until the pears and strawberries are covered. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the crumble is golden and crisp on top.

You can serve your crumble warm straight from the oven or cooled, paired with ice cream, custard, creme fraiche or cream. My favourite is serving the crumble warm with a generous lashing of cold thick vanilla custard or a dollop of creme fraiche.

Tip: You can split the ingredients and make individual crumbles in oven-proof bowls.

Shop Katherine's look with our Terracotta Tablecloth, Pink Clay & Turmeric Scalloped Placemats and Turmeric Napkins.

For more from Katherine, follow her on Instagram @katherine_sabbath.

Hungry for more? Explore more recipes from our favourite home cooks here.