Blackberry, Pear & Apple Crumble
This blackberry, pear & apple crumble combines seasonal fruit with a crunchy, lightly spiced almond crumble topping. Best served with ice cream!
Servings: 8 People
Equipment
- 10" Round Baking Dish
- Large Saucepan
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Vegetable Peeler
Ingredients
Almond Crumble Topping
- 140 g Plain Flour
- 50 g Ground Almonds
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- 150 g Unsalted Butter (Chilled & Diced)
- 80 g Porridge Oats
- 80 g Demerara Sugar
- 70 g Light Brown Sugar
- 30 g Flaked Almonds
Fruit Filling
- 1 Lemon (Juiced)
- 600 g Cooking Apples (See Notes)
- 600 g Conference Pears
- 500 g Blackberries
- 130 g Caster Sugar
- 40 g Unsalted Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- 25 g Cornflour
Instructions
Almond Crumble Topping
- Place the plain flour, ground almonds, cinnamon, ginger & salt into a mixing bowl then whisk to combine. Add in the butter then rub in with your hands, until the mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Next, stir in the oats, both sugars & flaked almonds then squeeze the mix together to form small clumps.If the pieces are too big, break them up with your fingers.
- Place the crumble mix into the fridge & leave to chill whilst you make the filling.
Fruit Filling
- Preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).Grease the inside of a round 10" ovenproof dish with butter then set aside.
- Add the lemon juice into a large saucepan then set to one side.
- Peel, quarter & core the apples & pears then cut into 1-2cm thick pieces. As you cut the fruit, place the pieces into the pan & mix with the lemon juice, to stop them going brown.
- Next, add the sugar, butter, vanilla, & salt to the fruit & stir to coat.
- Set the pan over a medium-low heat then cook until the fruit has started to soften, stirring regularly. This will take 10 minutes or so.
- Next, add the blackberries into the apples & pears then cook for another minute or two, stirring frequently until the fruit has turned red.
- Place the cornflour into a bowl & stir in enough cold water to make a thick paste. Add this to the fruit then cook out for another 1-2 minutes, until the juice has thickened.You'll need around 1 tbsp of cold water.
- Transfer the filling into the greased dish then sprinkle the chilled crumble topping over the top, so that the fruit is completely covered.
- Bake the crumble in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the topping is crisp & golden and the filling is bubbling.I'd recommend cooking the crumble on a baking tray, just in case any juices bubble over!
- Once baked, spoon the crumble into bowls then serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream or a generous amount of hot vanilla custard.
Notes
1. Cooking In An Aga – Cook the fruit for the filling on the simmering plate. Bake the crumble in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners.
2. Apples - I like to use Braeburn apples when I make crumble, as they keep their shape once cooked. If you'd prefer softer, fluffier apples you could use Bramley or Granny Smith apples instead.
3. Blackberries - If you're using wild blackberries, make sure to wash them before cooking them. There's a guide on how to do this in the post above.
4. Making In Advance – Both the crumble filling & topping can be made in advance & stored separately in the fridge for up to 3 days (or in the freezer for several months). If you’re cooking the crumble straight from the fridge, add a couple of minutes to the cooking time.
5. Storage – Any leftover crumble should be stored in the fridge & eaten within a couple of days.
6. Reheating – Leftover crumble can be reheated in a microwave (for a minute or so) or in a 180°c/356°f oven. If the crumble starts to brown too much in the oven, cover it loosely with foil.