Apple, blackberry & almond crumble
Early mornings are spent walking through the seasons by the sea. I love late summer early autumn watching the brambles flower and then as if by magic the fruit appears. Beautifully tart, soft berries growing in abundance in the hedgerows overlooking the estuary. I think of days spent as a child gathering blackberries in the warm summer sunshine, and now as a parent with my own children, returning home triumphantly with our pickings. Evie and I always do this together every year. Preserves, pies, jellies, galettes, crumbles, compotes - pick blackberries while you can. If you pick more than you need they freeze beautifully.
A firm favourite of mine, deliciously comforting and evokes wonderful memories of cooking with my mother as a child. Such a joyful time gathering blackberries in the autumn sunshine and seeing the world turn green to golden.
Serves 4 - 6
Apple, blackberry & almond crumble
300g cooking apples, peeled and cored
200g blackberries (fresh or frozen)
30g butter
25g soft brown sugar
1 peel lemon zest
Crumble
120g plain flour
65g ground almonds
65g golden caster sugar
65g unsalted butter, cold
30g flaked almonds
Method
Preheat your oven to 180C. Put the apples, blackberries, lemon zest into a bowl and gently mix together. Melt the 30g butter in a heavy based pan and add the apples and cook gently for 4-5 minutes, add the blackberries, lemon zest and soft brown sugar, cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Transfer to an ovenproof dish (remove the lemon zest) and set aside.
In a separate bowl, sieve the flour and add the sugar, stir together to combine. Cut the butter into cubes, add to the flour sugar mixture and crumble. Sprinkle the crumble over the apples, blackberries and top with the flaked almonds and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the berries are bursting around the sides and the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Cook’s note
Blackberry Compote - use 300g blackberries to 300g caster sugar. Check over the berries, removing any stalks and give them a quick rinse under a cold tap. Pour over the sugar and place over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for five minutes or so until the blackberries have softened, decant into a bowl and allow to cool. Delicious served with my panna cotta recipe, pancakes, toast or a dollop on top of yoghurt.
