Serves 4
150g plain flour
125g butter
70g Demerara sugar, plus an extra tbsp for the top of the crumble
450g cooking apples, peeled and cored
2tbsp caster sugar
150g blackberries
for the toffee cream; 85g butter, 100g muscavado sugar, 1tbsp golden syrup, 150ml double cream
For the crumble, sieve the flour into a large bowl. Add the butter and using the tips of your fingers and thumbs, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the Demerara sugar, then cover and chill.
Place the apples and caster sugar in a pan with 4tbsp cold water. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for about 10min, or until the apples are cooked through. Remove from the heat, stir in the blackberries and spoon the fruit into a shallow 900ml ovenproof dish, set aside to cool.
Spoon the crumble mixture over the fruit, sprinkle over the Demerara sugar and cook at 180C for 35-40min or until golden and the juices are bubbling. For the cream, place the butter sugar and syrup in a small pan. Bring to the boil, stirring and cook for 3-4min or until bubbling and golden, set aside to cool. Whip the cream until thick and then stir in the cooled toffee, chill before serving. Serve the crumble with a dollop of the toffee cream.
Did you know? Although you may think of crumble being a very traditional English pud to be enjoyed after a Sunday roast,we infact didn't warm to the humble crumble until the last century. It was thought up by imaginative early European settlers in the States as a way to make their stewed fruit a little more exciting.! But they didn't stop there, they enjoyed a savoury crumble, not sure what I think about chicken and leek crumble with my custard!!
