Blackberry and apple crumble

Serves: 4
Course: Dessert
Cooking Time: 0 hr 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 2-3 cooking apples, peeled and cubed (approx 500g) (or dessert apples)
  • 30g butter (plus extra for greasing)
  • 50g soft brown sugar
  • ½ lemon, zest and juice of
  • 250g-300g blackberries
  • Crumble Topping
  • 75g porridge oats
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 25g soft brown sugar
  • 60g butter, melted
  • 30g flaked almonds, lightly toasted
  • 30g chopped hazelnuts, lightly toasted
  • 100ml whipped cream, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 190°C fan. Grease a medium size ovenproof dish.

2. In a saucepan, gently melt the butter and sugar. Add in the cubed apples, lemon juice and zest. Cook for 5-7 minutes on a medium high heat (the apples should still be al dente and retain their shape).

3. Remove from the heat and gently fold in two thirds of the blackberries until their juices start to run into the apples. Taste and adjust to your desired sweetness adding more sugar if needed.

4. Transfer the fruit filling into a greased ovenproof dish (or you can do individual pots as I have for the photoshoot). Dot the remaining blackberries over the top of the fruit filling.

5. For the crumble topping combine the oats, ground almonds and sugar in a mixing bowl. Melt the butter and while it is still hot stir it into the mixture so it is evenly coated. Lastly stir in the toasted almonds and hazelnuts.

6. Arrange the crumble mixture over the top of the fruit.

7. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes (loosely covering with tinfoil after 15 minutes, if needed to keep the crumble from over browning). When the crumble is golden and bubbling around the edges it is done. Serve hot.

VARIATION

It is very easy to adapt both the fruit filling ingredients and crumble topping for special diets. Use honey or agave instead of sugar; flour instead of ground almonds; coconut oil instead of butter. Nuts can be omitted altogether and seeds used in the topping. Gluten free oats are now readily available.