This incredibly easy recipe cleverly turns a few odds and ends from the fruit bowl into a delectable caramely pudding.
Serves 4
2 large or 3 medium bananas
2 medium-large crisp dessert apples
2 pears
A knob of butter
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 190oC/Gas 5. Peel the bananas, halve them lengthways and cut each half in two. Put into an oven dish. Peel the apples and pears, halve or quarter them and remove the cores, then add to the dish. Add the butter, then the oil (which will stop the butter burning) and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
Take the dish from the oven and give the whole thing a gentle stir to distribute the butter over all the fruit. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, then take it out again.
Sprinkle over the sugar, stir gently and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until everything is soft and the buttery, sugary juices are starting to caramelise. Serve at once, with plain yoghurt, cream or ice cream, and shortbread if you like.
PLUS ONE A few toasted nuts – roughly bashed walnuts, pecans or slivered almonds, toasted in a hot oven for 5–10 minutes until lightly browned – make an extra delicious finishing touch.
SWAPS The above version of this dish is very much an autumn/winter affair. For a high-summer alternative, replace the apples and pears with sliced peaches and halved strawberries, adding the strawberries with the sugar for the final 10 minutes, as they require less cooking.