My In-Laws have a few apple trees in their back paddock that were just brimming with Autumnal apples ripe for picking and devouring, so naturally when the boys went up to help out, it meant we got a big bag of apples to cook with and enjoy. I decided to make my favourite school time pudding with some, a traditional apple crumble. There is something quintessentially British about an apple crumble, I really don’t know why, it’s kind of Autumn’s answer to Summer’s strawberries and cream, and I have to say, I’m a bigger fan of the apple crumble myself!
Here’s my favourite apple crumble recipe, it’s my mums recipe and far top trumps my own lazy version:
- 3 large cooking apples
- 6 small eating apples
- 2 heaped tablespoons demerera sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4oz Self raising flour
- 2oz butter
- 2oz caster sugar
Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 5/190C/375F.
Wash and peel the apples before slicing them into chunks, add them to a dish with cold water and a dash of lemon juice so they don’t go brown whilst you are slicing the rest. Empty the water once they are all done, put the apples in a heavy bottom pan with the demerera sugar on top with the cinnamon and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar is melted and syrupy. In a mixer, mix together the flour and butter until it becomes crumbly then stir in sugar (she’s VERY specific about the stirring of the sugar – never do it in the mixer as it will become like pastry!). Put the cooked and slightly cooled apples in the oven dish you are using and sprinkle this over the top of the apples and put into the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
The biggest debate we have in our house is not whether or not we are going to make apples crumble, everyone is well and truly united on that. No, we debate over what to eat this with! Adam is firmly in the custard camp, I’m all about cold single cream and the boys are still trying to put ice cream on everything.
What do you eat your apple crumble with?
H x
