Helen Goh’s recipe for rhubarb, pear and hazelnut crumble with browned butter

Rhubarb brings late-winter brightness to this favourite pudding, while ripe, buttery pears soften the edges and add a gentle creaminess. A small scatter of crushed fennel seed, briefly bloomed in the butter, gives the whole thing a subtle aromatic lift, though you can leave it out if you prefer.

Rather than the traditional rubbing-in method, the crumble topping is made by pouring warm browned butter straight into the dry ingredients, creating a pebbly mixture with a deeper toasted flavour. Cook the butter until it smells nutty and dark brown specks form, then stir in the crushed fennel to bloom for a couple of minutes.

Stir flour, brown sugar, oats, hazelnuts and salt together, pour over the warm browned butter (including the brown sediments) and mix until irregular clumps form, then chill the crumble. For the filling, rub caster sugar with orange zest, stir in the tapioca, add the rhubarb, pears, orange juice and vanilla, toss gently and tip into a buttered baking dish.

rhubarb, pear, hazelnut, crumble, browned butter, fennel seed, oats, brown sugar, orange zest, tapioca