Quince Crumble

Crumble is a typical British pudding containing stewed fruit, topped with a mixture of butter, flour and sugar, served with custard or ice cream. The topping can contain spices like cinnamon, ginger and ground or chopped nuts and/or oats. Commonly used fruits are apples, pears and berries. Crumbles originated in Britain during World War II. It was born due to the strict rationing of the ingredients required to make a pastry. Crumbles were the perfect alternative, using a small amount of flour, sugar and butter. As lately I can't get enough of quinces, I decided to prepare a spicy quince crumble on a rainy autumn afternoon.


Ingredients:
2 quinces
50 g sugar
1 star anise
3 cloves
2 cardamom pods
2-3 pieces of cassia or half a cinnamon stick
1/8 teaspoon sichuan pepper
1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 piece of fresh ginger
For the crumble:
40 g butter
30 g brown sugar
10 g vanilla sugar
40 g coarsly ground almond
40 g flour

For the quinces put everything into a pot and add enough water so that the quinces are covered. Bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 50-60 minutes or until soft. You can let it stand over night or remove it from the liquid and let it cool. For the crumble cut butter into small dice. With the help of your fingers rub it into the brown sugar, vanilla sugar, ground almond and flour. Do not mix it too much! Put it to the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Fill ramekins with the sliced fruit and top with the crumble. Bake for 15 minutes.