Winter Feasting/ European Christmas Market and Berry Easy Pear Crumble Recipe

‘Tis the season to be jolly (and eat delicious winter treats)

For 27 years, Christmas has always been a swelteringly hot experience for me. My home town is along the Eastern Cape of South Africa in the Southern Hemisphere… So there is NO such thing as a ‘white Christmas’. The only thing white on Christmas is the whipped cream in the dessert trifle. I am definitely not complaining about the many lovely beach memories made during childhood Christmas vacations, however, I now find myself in the Northern Hemisphere, bundled up in thick knitted sweaters and kind of LOVING the chilly Christmas season.

Last weekend I attended the 8th European Christmas market in Seoul and loved trying out some delicious wintery foods. The theme for this years market was, “Sharing and love at Christmas time”

Armed with a hot rum and coffee (from the Spanish store) my friends and I walked around the market at Seongbukcheon Fountain Square, absorbing the cheer and delicious aromas. Im sure the novelty of a wintery Christmas will soon wear off, but for now Im thoroughly enjoying all the soups, steamed goodies and hot wine I can get my hands on. I enjoy baking puddings and hot desserts in winter, so I have included my current favourite, ‘Berry Easy Pear Crumble’. I cannot claim this recipe as my own creation, its a recipe that my mom regularly uses.  You’ll find the recipe after the European Christmas Market pictures.

Below are some photos I took at the market. Yes, I held a paper cup of hot rum and black coffee, a handbag and my camera all at the same time, SKILLS! 🙂

Each store represented a different European country and served up a traditional cuisine.

Sarmale (stuffed cabbage rolls) from Romania.

Punsch from the Austrian store.

The Kaiserschmarrn from Austria looked decent! It’s a type of shredded fluffy pancake sprinkled with confectioners sugar.

In the spirit of love and sharing, we ordered a serving of Pierogi to share (Polish dumplings).

Oplatka from Czech. A type of wafer / waffle with chocolate pieces inside.

Raclette Cheese served on Potato Roesti from Switzerland.

Polish Honey Cake.

Berry Easy Pear Crumble | Recipe

I love the aromas that spill out of the oven and in to my home when I’m baking this fruity crumble. It pairs superbly with a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top and a cup of hot black coffee on the side. Happy winter baking!

 

Ingredients

1 cup self-raising flour (or add 1 tsp baking powder to a cup of ordinary flour)
1 cup oats
1 cup coconut (optional)
half cup castor sugar
half cup brown sugar
three fifths of a cup butter
six plump pears, peeled, cored, and chopped (or three Korean sized pears)
300g cranberries
80g blackberries
3 TBS rosewater or berry juice
cream, ice-cream, or greek yoghurt, to serve

Method

Place the flour, coconut, oats, and sugar in a bowl and mix.
Rub in the butter using your fingertips, to form a crumble. Set aside.
Toss the pears, berries and rosewater (or juice) in brown sugar to coat.
Divide the sugared fruit between four ovenproof bowls.
Top with a generous amount of crumble and bake at 180C for approximately 30 minutes or until golden in colour.
Serve with a generous dollop of either cream, ice-cream, or greek yoghurt (my favourite).

Variation
Apples can be substituted for pears, and use any berries of your choice. I’d love to try using gooseberries sometime.

Planning Ahead
Make extra crumble as it freezes well. Set aside to defrost slightly and grate over the fruit when you are ready to bake the crumble.