Help me swanky up apple crumble.

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

We've got friends coming over for supper and I really want to give my planned apple crumble some vavavoom.

I normally pop some male syrup with the apples and then blitz some pecans and oats in the crumble topping.

Can anyone offer me some poncey suggestions?

anyone?

I did one with gold edible glitter on the top once. But I'm guessing that's not the sort of thing you were after

Might work.

Is that the stuff that ahem, goes straight through you?

I suppose it would, I've never looked....

Put a tin of apricots or some dried apricots with the apples. Or blueberries. Sunflower/pumpkin seeds in topping. Cinnamon sticks in fruit. Cream or posh ice cream instead of custard. Or make proper custard with eggs and vanilla instead of packet stuff.

at male syrup. (Sorry not helpful!)

Hmm yes that might be a great euphemism.

Toffee apple crumble - pour/spread some toffee sauce/dulche de leche over the apples, then put the crumble topping on.

Dried fruit in with the apple is nice. Sultana's, mixed berries, blueberries etc

Flaked toasted almonds in the crumble topping can be nice too.

Chopped macadamia nuts and thread coconut in the crumble.

Make individual ones, teeny pots of cream for each one and some luscious homemade custard.

I used soft dark brown sugar in my topping with oats, pecans. Apples just chipped with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Apple crumble is a classic, you can't improve it by faffing about with it.

You'd have to call it something else.

lots of ginger and sultanas is wonderful in an apple crumble, oh and allspice!

Thanks there's some fab ideas here - I will be crumbled out.

My mum makes lovely apple crumble with ground almonds in the topping.
I like peaches/pears in with the apples, and I make the custard with tons of cream.

I like to keep it quite simple as someone else said - it's lovely as it is. However, I do always add cinnamon to the apples and I can't fathom a crumble without oats in the topping. Pecans sound lovely, and what about just a lovely vanilla-ey custard or sweetened vanilla marscapone to go with it?

Yes I agree that apple crumble is fine as it is, why improve what's already perfect? :)

But apple & blackberry crumble is good as another option, or adding some spices (cinnamon, cloves etc) and/or nuts makes it more interesting. But I would just do a fairly simple one myself. If the fruit is good quality & the custard home made, you can't go wrong.

Add sultanas (plumped up in alcohol), ground almond and nutmeg / mixed spice / cinnamon to get an apple streudel flavour.

Or mix in leftover mincemeat.

Calvados in with the apples - or plumping up sultanas as senua says - and Grape Nuts in the crumble mix. It's a breakfast cereal that stays crunchy. Delia uses it in her biscuit bases and it gives a really nice texture. Yum!

We put fudge in ours. Just buy a bag and lob pieces in the crumble mix.

amaretti biscuits crushed in the topping is delicious.

ooooh mincemeat!!!! i've got loads left from xmas and a bag of apples! guess what we're having valentine's?

Grate marzipan into the crumble mixture and put mincemeat with the aople - yummy yummy