Almost mesolithic mixed berry crumble

This bright and bibulous berry crumble is from my forthcoming eBook The Mesolithic Diet for Mind and Body. I call it an “almost” Mesolithic concoction because, while the mid-stoneage denizens were an inventive lot, they almost certainly had no dairy industry. Nevertheless, they did forage for nuts and berries and fruit, and evidently honey and maple syrup were a rare and welcome luxury, too.

Ingredients

450 g fresh or frozen mixed berries – a combination of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries is nice.

Juice of one orange

¼ cup hazelnut meal

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1/2  teaspoon cinnamon

60g butter

1 generous tablespoon honey or maple syrup

Method

• Place berries and orange juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add a little water if the mixture is perilously close to becoming the Sahara desert. Drain excess juice, but leave enough so the berries can still paddle, then place them in a small-to-medium size baking dish.
• While the berries are languishing, have a go at making the topping.

Topping

• Toss the almond meal, coconut, hazelnut meal and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Chop butter and rub it into the dry mix with your fingertips until it turns into small clumps.
• Add honey or maple syrup and form into a ball.
• Crumble pieces of the dough evenly over the berries
• Bake in a 180 degree celcius oven for 25-30 minutes.
• This splendid sweet goes well with Greek yoghurt, but I prefer it unadorned.