How do you make apple crumble?

Answer 1

You couldn't have picked a more simple or delicious baked dessert than apple crumble!

For the filling:

Peel, core and slice (not too thin) 1kg apples and put into a pan with a couple of tablespoons of water, 25g brown sugar and 1tsp ground cinnamon. Simmer gently until the apples are soft. Put into a 2l ovenproof dish, any shape, but deep enough to take the mixture comfortably, and set aside.

For the topping:

Put 225g plain flour into a mixing bowl with 75g butter and rub in together until crumbly. Add 100g brown sugar (more, or less, to taste) and mix well.

To finish:

Sprinkle the topping lightly over the apple mixture, spreading gently with a fork. Don't press down.

Bake at 180C for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool slightly while you whip a cup of plain cream. Serve portions of the crumble with the whipped cream on the side.

Notes: some people like to add two or three whole cloves to the apples with the cinnamon, but this is entirely to taste. Try it without the cloves first. The cream, of course, is optional; the apple crumble is fine just on its own. Or you could serve a dish of heavy cream for people to help themselves. You could serve ice cream, but it isn't as good as just plain whipped cream or plain heavy cream.

To make a traditional apple pie, just cover the apple mixture with shortcrust pastry instead of crumble, leaving a couple of holes for the steam to escape, and bake until golden brown.