One of the best things about Autumn is this perennial favourite; the good old fashioned crumble. This classic apple and blackberry crumble recipe, from the brilliant team at The Pig hotels, is one to return to again and again
Crumbles are one of the finest comfort foods on the planet, so it won’t surprise you to learn that we love them at The Pigs. There are so many fillings and toppings to choose from, we could probably fill the rest of the book with them. And then there’s the old ‘ice cream or Bird’s custard’ debate. It’s both, obviously. At The Pigs we have a number of different orchard trees and we don’t even know the variety of some of them, so this crumble is a great way of using up a random selection of fruit.
IMAGE: EMLI BENDIXEN
The Pig’s Apple and Blackberry Crumble
Ingredients
For the fruit mixture
- 600 g 1lb 5 oz apples peeled, cored and each cut into 8 chunks
- 2 tablespoons golden caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons water or apple juice
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 punnets of blackberries
For the crumble topping
- 175 g 6oz unsalted butter, diced
- 120 g 4¼oz demerara sugar
- 300 g 10½oz plain flour
- 70 g 2½oz jumbo oats
Instructions
- Put the apples, sugar, liquid and lemon juice in a pan and heat until the mixture starts to bubble and the sugar dissolves.
- Turn the heat down low and cook until the apples start to get soft but not mushy. Remember, it’ll be going in the oven so you don’t need to cook them all the way through. Add the blackberries and mix in, allowing them to just warm through – you want them to keep their shape.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC, 180ºC fan (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.To make the crumble topping, rub together the butter, sugar and flour with your fingers until the mixture has a breadcrumb consistency. Stir in the oats and spread over a lined baking tray. Bake for 8 minutes.
- When you’re ready to serve, place the fruit in an ovenproof dish, draining off any excess liquid as you don’t want the topping to be soggy. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the fruit, making a layer at least 1cm (½ inch) deep. Heat it in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown, bubbling and delicious.
Recipe extract from The Pig: Tales and Recipes From the Kitchen Garden and Beyond (Octopus Publishing, RRP £30) by Robin Hutson, Gill Morgan, Paul Croughton and The Pig team.
If you like the look of this, then you might also like Gizzi Erskine’s Lemon Sherbet Meringue Pie recipe here. You can share this recipe using the buttons at the top of the page and discover more foodie inspiration here.
