Autumn Leaves, Apple Trees

Autumn has arrived, Halloween is on the way, and Winter will soon be here.

That means only one thing; comfort food will soon be becoming an everyday dish. You can't go wrong with a hot bowl of crumble, pie or sponge. There's something typically British about it.

I was recently given a load of apples by a friend, so I did what I do best and baked. I made an apple crumble and it cheered us right up. After a really rubbish weekend, comfort food was just what we needed, and crumble hit the nail on the head. It tasted even better with fresh apples picked right form the garden. Crumble is such a cheap sweet treat, and if you're lucky enough to have an apple tree, rhubarb bush or berry bush in your garden, then you really can make it for next to nothing. All you need is fruit, sugar, water, flour and butter. Most of these are ingredients you already have on your shelf, so there's rarely any need to pop to the shop either!

Ingredients:
4-5 bramley cooking apples (or homegrown)
100g caster sugar
150g plain flour
75g softened butter

Method:
If you plan to cook your crumble straight after preparing it, pre heat your oven to 180C. You can just make it in advance however, and leave it covered in the fridge.

Firstly, prepare your apples. Half fill a large saucepan with water, and peel, core and chop the apples into chunks. Place them in the saucepan to prevent them from turning brown.

Drain all of the water from the pan, and then add 2 tbsp. of water and 50g of the sugar. Place on a medium heat on the hob. Stew until the apples become mushy, then transfer to an ovenproof dish.

Next, prepare the crumble topping. Place the flour, the remaining sugar and butter into a mixing bowl. Mix everything together and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Pour this evenly on to the top of the stewed apples.

If you are making the crumble in advance, leave to cool. Then cover with cling film and place it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it.

If baking, place the crumble in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Eat hot from the oven. You can serve with cream, ice cream or custard for an even yummier pud.

Voila!


There are so many variations of the humble crumble, so I thought I'd share with you a few different fruit ideas to get some inspiration to find the perfect dish to take away those winter blues!

  • Apple
  • Rhubarb
  • Apple and Blackberry
  • Gooseberry
  • Quince
  • Plum and Blackberry
  • Rhubarb, Pear and Hazelnut
  • Blackberry and Pear
  • Cherry
  • Mango, Pear and Ginger
  • Maple Plum
  • Plum and Almond
  • Apple and Raspberry
  • Rhubarb and Ginger
I hope those ideas get you inspired to bake some fruity goodness for you and your family over the next few autumnal weeks!

Charley x


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