Crispy quince crumble with tahini maple caramel - the best crumble you’ll ever have
Once you go quince, you never go back..
This quince crumble was such a success. I don’t think I’ll EVER go back to making crumble with apples again.
An ode to quince
Quince is one of my favourite autumn fruits. It tastes a bit like combination of pear, apple, and citrus and is very fragrant.
Growing up in a Moroccan household, my mother used to stew the fruits in cinnamon and sugar, until they were caramelised, and add this to savoury tajines - my favourite used to be a lamb tajine with stewed quince and toasted almonds. When I got older, I realised you can actually eat the fruit raw, just like apples, but it is an acquired taste as they can have a slightly sour, astringent flavour with tough, grainy flesh and leathery skin when eaten raw.
As soon as they’re cooked, the texture softens. And the smell is amazing!
Better for your blood sugar
Unlike most gluten free and grain free crumble or crisp recipes, this recipe does not call for oats. This is to keep it lower glycaemic - the quince adds plenty of carbohydrate richness.
Instead, we use nuts and coconut flakes, which add healthy fats and protein to this recipe, to balance out the natural sugars and make it more nutritious.
The result: a delicious dessert that is less likely to spike your blood sugar. But you wouldn’t guess this is better for your blood sugar because it tastes so scrummy.
Ingredients and instructions for the topping
This topping is inspired by Nom Nom Paleo’s apple crisp recipe.
1 1/3 cup pecan nuts
1/2 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup almond flour or tigernut flour
2 tsp ceylon cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of salt
1/4 cup coconut sugar or golden monk fruit sweetener for a lower carb option
1/3 cup of cold butter, ghee or coconut oil to keep this vegan - it has to be cold!
Place almond flours, sweetener, spices and butter in a food processor or chopper and pulse until coarse.
Add the remaining ingredients (pecans and coconut flakes) and pulse again until it starts to look like a chunky crumble.
Cool in the fridge for 30 minutes. While the topping is chilling, prepare the filling and preheat the oven to 350F/175C.
Ingredients and instructions for the quince filling
2 large quince fruits
2 tbsp grated orange zest
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tbsp tapioca or arrowroot starch
Cut the quince in slices and then in half, so it resembles apple slices, size wise. There is no need to remove the skin - this only adds more flavour and fibre to the recipe.
Add all the filling ingredients to a bowl and toss until it’s evenly mixed.
Place in an 8-inch square baking dish and make sure the filling is as level as possible.
Add the chilled crumble on top until the quince is no longer visible.
Bake for 45 - 60 minutes. While the crumble is baking, make your tahini maple caramel.
Ingredients and instructions for the low sugar tahini maple caramel
6 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp molasses
6 tbsp Lakanto monkfruit maple syrup, this allulose based maple syrup or regular maple syrup (if you don’t mind the sugar content!)
pinch of salt
Mix everything together in a sauce pan on low heat until it’s well incorporated. Add more of the syrup or a bit of (nut) milk if you like it runnier. Keep in mind that once it’s cooled, the consistency becomes a bit thicker, so it’s best served warm or reheated.
Once the crumble is ready, drizzle with the maple tahini caramel and serve with some vanilla coconut yoghurt.
