Ingredients
Method
- Prepare the fruit. Peel the cooking apples and leave the skins on the eating ones for texture. Roughly chop and tip into your baking dish. Add any extras - sultanas, frozen berries, whatever you fancy. Sprinkle over the cinnamon, nutmeg and a little Demerara sugar, add the water and stir until everything is lightly coated. Don't add too much liquid - the fruit will release plenty of moisture as it cooks.
- Make the topping. Rub the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles rough, shaggy breadcrumbs - you want lumps of butter still visible, that's exactly what you're after. Stir through the Demerara and salt. Don't overwork it.
- Assemble and bake. Roughly scatter the topping over the fruit, keeping it loose and uneven. Don't press it down - those craggy bits are exactly what you want. Bake at 170°C for around 45 minutes until deeply golden on top and bubbling at the edges. Keep an eye on it towards the end.
- Serve warm with custard, vanilla ice cream, clotted cream, or an indulgent combination of all three.
Notes
Cold butter is non-negotiable for a good crumble topping - warm butter will make it greasy rather than crumbly. If your kitchen is warm, pop the cubed butter back in the fridge for ten minutes before you start.
The Demerara sugar is worth seeking out over caster - it gives the topping a slightly caramelised crunch that makes a real difference.
Leftovers reheat beautifully the next day. If anything, it's even better. This recipe is completely forgiving. Pears, rhubarb, frozen berries, sultanas - anything goes. Use what you have, trust your instincts, and don't stress the measurements on the fruit. Just fill the dish.