Crumbles are easy to make and such crowdpleasers
Everyone has a favourite crumble, but it’s always worth trying some new ideas because there are so many combinations to love at this time of year, with fresh autumn fruits.
Plums, apples, blackberries and pears are all classic crumble ingredients and they are wonderful with some frozen fruits from summer, nuts or spices as winter grows nearer and a warming pudding is just what the doctor ordered.
Autumn crumble
Halve, stone and slice 450g of ripe plums, and quarter, peel and slice a pear. Place in a saucepan, sprinkle over 75g of sugar, then add the juice of one orange. Cover and cook gently for 10 minutes until the fruits are just cooked. Stir in the blackberries then spoon into a shallow ovenproof dish. For the crumble, rub 50g diced butter into 100g of flour, then stir in the zest of an orange and 3 tablespoons of flaked almonds. Spoon over the cooked fruit. Bake in a preheated oven set to 180°C for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden and fruit juices are bubbling. Check after 20 minutes and cover the top loosely with foil if the almonds seem to be browning too quickly. Spoon into bowls and serve hot with custard.
Recipe courtesy of Seasonal Berries
Raspberry and chocolate crumble
Preheat your oven to 190°C. Place 600g of raspberries in a greased ovenproof dish, and scatter with 45g caster sugar. To make the topping, rub 90g unsalted butter into 140g plain flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in 35g of porridge oats, 70g light soft brown sugar, and 50g of dark chocolate chips. Spread on top of the raspberries in the dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until browned on the top. Serve with whipped cream. You can also make this in individual ramekins, if you like.
Spiced pear crumble with an almond topping
Peel, core and roughly chop six ripe pears. Place in an ovenproof dish with 30g of soft light brown sugar. Toast 60g of flaked almonds, then once cooled mix together in a bowl with 150g plain flour, 80g sugar, 80g of cubed unsalted butter, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. When it’s looking like breadcrumbs, scatter it over the pears in the dish and bake at 180°C for 35–45 minutes until golden on top.
Rhubarb and ginger crumble
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Trim and slice 650g of rhubarb into 2cm pieces, then tip into a deep pie dish. Mix in two finely chopped pieces of preserved stem ginger and 30g of caster sugar. In a separate bowl, mix 175g plain flour with 50g porridge oats and rub in 100g of cubed unsalted butter. Stir in 50g of caster sugar, then cover the rhubarb with the crumble topping. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the rhubarb is cooked and the topping is golden all over.
Toffee apple crumble
Bring 100ml of water and 225g caster sugar up to the boil in a saucepan. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat, add 30ml golden syrup and 30g butter, then bring up to the boil for a second time. Turn the heat down and carefully add 900g of peeled, cored and cubed cooking apples, and cook until soft. Tip out into a large ovenproof dish. Rub 150g flour, 100g cubed unsalted butter and 100g sugar together in a bowl until they resemble breadcrumbs, then cover the apples with the mixture. Bake for 15 minutes until golden on top. This is also delicious baked in individual ramekins.
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