Ingredients

For the apricots

700-750 g fresh and ripe apricots, cleaned, pitted and cut into thin slices
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
the juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
half a teaspoon dried ginger powder
half a teaspoon cardamom powder

For the crumble

300 g almond meal
5-6 tablespoons muscovado sugar
a few pinches of cinnamon powder
1 large tablespoon cocoa powder
a pinch of whole sea salt
70 g pure cocoa butter, melted
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon almond butter

Makes 4-6 servings.

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the apricots, rice malt syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, ginger and cardamom powder. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, muscovado, cinnamon, cocoa powder and salt. Add the cocoa butter, olive oil and almond butter and rub ingredients together using your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

Remove the apricots from the fridge, arrange the crumble randomly on top of the fruit and serve cool.

Ingredients

For the filling

3 slightly under-ripe pears (Bartlett or similar), peeled and cut into pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 tablespoons agave syrup
juice of 1 lemon

For the crumble topping

100 g dark chocolate (or 1 bar)
4 handfuls of hazelnuts
a pinch of whole sea salt
3 tablespoons muscovado sugar
a few pinches of cinnamon powder
6 tablespoons whole rice flour
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
5 teaspoons hazelnut butter
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Makes 4 servings.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 150° C. In a medium bowl, combine the pears, the cinnamon, the agave and the lemon juice. Mix well, transfer the fruit mixture to a baking pan and bake for about 10 minutes.

Place the chocolate and the hazelnuts in a food processor and process until you reach a crumbly texture. Transfer the mix into a medium-sized bowl and add the salt, the sugar, the cinnamon, the flour and the cocoa powder and combine using a fork or your fingers. Add the hazelnut butter and the olive oil and rub everything together using your fingers until the butter and the oil have been evenly distributed through the flour and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Remove the pear filling from the oven and arrange the crumble randomly on top of the fruit. Bake for another 10-15 minutes (at 150° C). Remove from the oven and let coola bit. Serve warm (or you might as well like it at room temperature).