Apple and blueberry crumble

A simple apple and blueberry crumble guarantees smiles at the table.  There is something quintessentially British about an apple crumble. It reminds me of Sunday lunches after walks in the countryside when the air is crisp.  Of warm kitchens filled with the sweet smell of baked fruit.

Depending on the season or what’s available, you can also transform the humble crumble with a mix of fruit into a fragrant, delectable dessert. Or pudding as the Brits say. I only recently discovered that Americans would call this a blueberry and apple crisp.

I like to keep my crumble recipes simple. I just chop the apples up and layer them in a baking dish with blueberries and sprinkled with sugar. No need to cook the fruit in a saucepan beforehand.

The topping for this blueberry and apple crumble also includes oats which give it a tasty crunch.

Another version which is a family favorite is apple and blackberry crumble, especially perfect when freshly picked. In fact I’ve made all sorts of fruit crumbles, not just with apples and berries, depending on the season.

APPLE AND BLUEBERRY OAT CRUMBLE

INGREDIENTS

• 2lb Braeburn apples (or Bramley or even a mixture of apples) (roughly 1 kilo)
• 3/4 cups blueberries (about 100 g)
• 2 1/4 oz caster sugar (64 g or 1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon butter cut into small chunks
• 1 lemon
• 3 1/2 oz flour (100 g)
• 2 1/2 ox butter (75 g)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3 1/2 oz demerara sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 200C / 400F. Peel and core apples. Cut into chunks. Squeeze lemon juice over them to stop browning.

In 9 inch baking dish add layers of apple and blueberries while sprinkling the 1/2 cup sugar evenly over the layers and on top. Cut up 1 tbsp butter into small chunks and dot over top of fruit mix.

Using a food processor blend the flour and butter until it has the texture of breadcrumbs. Stir in the oats and the sugar. Spread evenly over the fruit mixture.

Bake in oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the crumble is crisp and golden brown.

You can serve the apple and blueberry crumble with cream, custard or vanilla ice cream.

Served with cream it’s a simly delicious apple and blueberry crumble. If you’re fond of fruit desserts you may also want to try my Blackberry Fool  or a Strawberry Pie or the delectable Eton Mess.