“It was three o’clock; the church bell tolled as I passed under the belfry: the charm of the hour lay in its approaching dimness, in the low-gliding and pale-beaming sun. I was a mile from Thornfield, in a lane noted for wild roses in summer, for nuts and blackberries in autumn, and even now possessing a few coral treasures in hips and haws, but whose best winter delight lay in its utter solitude and leafless repose.” Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
The last few years we’ve enjoyed watching our children step out to forage blackberries, apples and many other fruits from our own garden and fields with the onset of autumn – our youngest has several times this summer stopped unconsciously to snack on an apple from the tree rather than tugging at our sleeves to go rootling through the cupboard. It’s reminded us how it makes such a difference to have grown your own fruit and picked it yourself – or at least to know where and how it was grown and to have picked it locally if you haven’t the space at home. Little ones get so much joy and education from the process and blackberries are so easy to forage from the lanes if you live in the countryside, while an apple tree, or any favourite fruit tree, is always worth the space if you’ve got a corner going spare.
It’s tricky to go too far wrong with a crumble – it doesn’t want to be complicated or ambitious, only to taste neither too sweet nor too sharp and to have good crunch to the topping. The finish needs no precision – provincial and unpolished are its character. This one bakes up beautifully every time and is always such a warming dish to come inside to on a cold and blustery autumn day. Best served with ice cream or double cream – or both if you’re feeling extra decadent.
NOTES
– This recipe calls for both cooking and eating apples, cooking apples being sharper, eating apples being sweeter. If you can’t find both and must make do with one, judge accordingly whether you need more or less sugar to taste.
– This crumble can be baked a day ahead – if you do this, cool completely, cover and chill. Bring to room temperature for an hour, then warm through in a hot oven.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment:
- mixing bowl/jug
- shallow baking dish (we use our shallow casserole Le Creuset dish)
Makes: 8-10 servings
INGREDIENTS
For the crumble topping:
- 240 grams plain flour
- 150 grams butter, room temperature and diced
- 120 grams Demerara sugar
- 100 grams oats
For the fruit layer:
- 800 grams cooking apples
- 400 grams eating apples
- 200 grams blackberries
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 100-150 grams caster sugar (judge according to natural sweetness of fruit)
Ice cream to serve: recipe here
METHOD
Making the crumble topping:
- Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5.
- Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl, add the butter and rub the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles fine crumbs (You can use a Thermomix for this if you have one). Add the demerara sugar and oats and mix through.
Making the fruit layer:
- Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5.
- Peel, quarter and core the cooking apples, then thinly slice them into a large mixing bowl. Peel, quarter and core the eating apples and cut them into slightly thicker wedges. Add the blackberries and toss together.
- Add the caster sugar and the cornflour until well mixed. Leave for a few minutes to soak and then stir well once more before assembly.
To assemble:
- Spoon the fruit mixture into the baking dish and gently pack down into an even layer with the back of a spoon.
- Spoon the crumble mixture in an even layer over the top of the fruit. Bake for round 45 minutes or until the topping is a lovely rich golden brown and the fruit is bubbling hot and tender.
- Remove the crumble from the oven and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot with custard, cream or ice cream. It will keep for a few days and re-heats well.
