Blackberry and apple crumble

Name: Blackberry and apple crumble
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: Serves 6-8
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 750g (about 2 large) bramley apples; 400g (about 3) crisp eating apples, such as cox; 250g blackberries; 2-3 tsp cornflour; 100-150g caster sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit; For the crumble topping; 240g plain flour; 150g butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces; 120g demerara sugar; You’ll also need…; 2 litre shallow baking dish

Portion size: Serves 6-8
Hands-on time 20 min, oven time 45 min, plus resting
Difficulty: easy

Recipe by: Debbie Major

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Nothing is more British than crumble and with its fruity, biscuity aroma, crunchy topping and juicy filling, its place in our culinary hall of fame is undisputed. British cookery doyenne Debbie Major offers her definitive recipe.

Take this comforting classic to the next level with our apple and blackberry frangipane crumble.

Before you start

A big pinch of ground cinnamon in the crumble topping will add a subtle warmth of spice – perfect for the autumnal flavours of the apple.

You can make the crumble topping in a food processor instead of using your fingers – just push the pulse button a few times and it’ll come together.

A few bigger lumps of butter in the crumble mixture is a good thing – it’ll create more texture once baked.

Using a combination of cooking and eating apples provides the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness – so it’s well worth getting both.

Cornflour helps thicken the juices that come out of the fruit as they cook, creating a thicker sauce rather than something that’s very liquid.

Tossing fruit with sugar – a process called maceration – is a way to intensify the flavour of the fruit and add sweetness. Try it anytime you’re serving fresh fruit – around 1 tbsp per 200g of fruit is all you need. Toss together, then set aside for 5 minutes.

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Ingredients

750g (about 2 large) bramley apples
400g (about 3) crisp eating apples, such as cox
250g blackberries
2-3 tsp cornflour
100-150g caster sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit

For the crumble topping

240g plain flour
150g butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
120g demerara sugar

You’ll also need…

2 litre shallow baking dish

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Method

Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. For the crumble topping, sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl, add the butter and rub the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, as for pastry. Continue rubbing in until the mixture begins to stick together to form small pea-size clumps. Stir in the demerara sugar.
Peel, quarter and core the bramley apples, then thinly slice them into a large mixing bowl. Peel, quarter and core the eating apples, then cut them into slightly thicker wedges. Add to the bramleys with the blackberries and mix together.
Mix the cornflour with the caster sugar, add to the bowl of fruit and toss together well. Set aside for a few minutes until the fruit juices begin to seep out and make the sugar damp, then toss everything together once more until the cornflour mixture clings to the outside of the fruit.
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Spoon the fruity mixture into the baking dish, then pack it down into an even layer with your hands or the back of a spoon.
Spoon the crumble mixture in an even layer over the top of the fruit. Bake for 45 minutes until the topping is richly golden brown and the fruit is bubbling hot and tender.
Remove the crumble from the oven and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot with custard, crème fraîche, cream, ice cream or yogurt.