Fruit Crumble

Ingredients

Serves 6 -8

Any fruit you have to hand - Apple is a great basis to add other fruit too. Apple and cinnamon or mixed spice, apple and blackberry, pear and vanilla extract, tinned peach slices, tinned apricots, you could add almonds to the apricots, experiment and your choice can make an exciting crumble!

1/2 to 1 cup granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit, not for tinned fruit as they have their own sugars.

1 to 3 tablespoons 

cornstarch, depending on juiciness of fruit

1 teaspoon 

ground spice, such as cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg (optional)

For the crumble topping:

150grms plain flour

50grms brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of any type of spice (optional

50grms unsalted butter, at room temperature

Method

• Heat oven to 375°F and prepare the baking dish. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F. Coat a 9x9-inch or a 11x7-inch baking dish with butter; set aside.

• Prepare the fruit filling. If necessary, chop the fruit into small pieces, sprinkle with sugar and any spices you might be using. Use more sugar if you are cooking with tart fruits, like rhubarb, blackberries or plums.

• Spoon the fruit into the baking dish. 

• Prepare the crumble topping. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl Cut the butter into a few large pieces and toss these in the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, a fork, or a pastry cutter, then work the butter into the dry ingredients until large, heavy crumbs are formed.

• Spoon the crumble over the fruit. Bake until the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges of the pan and the topping is golden and firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes.

• Cool the crumble. Let the crumble cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Delicious with cream, yogurt or custard

Top Tip! Crumbles will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week. Serve cold, room temperature, or re-warmed in a low oven for 20 minutes.

Alternative toppings

To make a crispier topping:

Add 1/2 cup of rolled oats and/or 1/2 cup chopped nuts (or both) to the crumble topping.

To make a fruit cobbler: 

Press the crumbs into biscuit-sized scone shapes and arrange them in a single layer over the fruit.