Fruit Crumble

[Hottoffeesauce]

I‘m no cook but need to make a really good fruit crumble. People say that you can’t go wrong making a crumble but I’ve been told that I could burn water! Please give me your best recipe/tips/expertise. I want to make an unforgettable crumble but unforgettable for the right reasons!

Depends what you like , I like a gooey layer where the fruit meets the crumble with only a hint of crispiness in the top. I've seen a French chef bake the crumble separately to keep it like crumbled biscuits which is missing the best bit as far as I'm concerned .

I love a basic crumble topping, and lots of it! No arsing about with nuts or oats to add crunch.

Sorry, no actual recipe to post.

delia smith recipes are always reliable

A little over half fat to flour. So, 200g plain flour and 115g butter. Crumb this, then add sugar. I use about 75g.

You can swap some flour for ground almonds. Or swap a little for oats. Until you’re used to it, I wouldn’t.

For fruit, I use frozen berries or whatever fruit I have. I don’t bother to defrost. Sweeten them with a little sugar but don’t go mad. A couple of tablespoons is enough, unless you like things sweet.

Bake at 170 or mark 4 for 40-45 minutes.

200gms plain flour
150gms butter
100gms rolled oats
200gms Demerara sugar

Mix together until it sort of sticks together.

Lightly stew whatever fruit you want, pop it in the bottom of a suitable dish, add the the crumble topping and bake for half an hour in a preheated 180deg oven.

Thank you everyone. I’ve got loads of frozen fruit in the freezer so could use that up. I’ll have a look at Delia Smith too. Fingers crossed!

It’s so easy when you get yet hang of it. Dump the fruit in the dish and cover with brown sugar. Mix it up a bit. If it’s apple sump some cinnamon in. If it’s tart fruit bit more sugar. Make the crumble with butter:marg and sugar. Get a child to rub it into crumble they enjoy it.
bake it a bit lower than you think or the top layer of crumble burns.

Plain flour/sugar/marge in the ratio 3:2:1 for the topping, personally I tend to use less sugar so more like 3:1.5:1 , sugar with the fruit as needed. Cinnamon is good with apple, ground ginger with rhubarb but don't over do it. A sprinkle of demerara sugar on the top to make it crunchy

I whizz together rolled oats and sweet nuts - whatever I have. Then add butter or marge and whizz until it sticks a bit.

Pile over the top of your fruit and into a 180 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Look at it and decide if you want more time.

150 g plain flour, 100g butter. Rub together or process to just beyond fine breadcrumbs, so lightly clumping. Stir in 75 g sugar, once you’ve spread it over the fruit sprinkle lightly with cold water to help with crisping. You need to make sure the mixture is not too powdery. I usually add some ground almonds, but start with the basic recipe . You can also add chopped nuts (hazelnuts are good with blackberries, walnuts with apple) and/or oats.

Found this Hairy Bikers one recently, the actual crumble is excellent, I’ve made it with a variety of fruits.

If you don't want to have to rub the butter in with your fingers I've seen a recipe that uses oil instead, just mix it in with a spoon. I've used this method for vegans

Use a pastry blender rather than your fingers or a food processor if you've got one.

Thank you everyone for your advice and ideas. One thing I’m confused about, do I need to cook the fruit separately first before sprinkling on the crumble topping?

No definitely don’t cook fruit first

i cook the fruit first and like to add dates to my apple and blackberry

Whatever suits you on or before the day. Each has its fans.

Make double the crumble mix amount.
Use half and put half in a bag in the freezer.
Quick and easy to use next time you need it.

Those of you cooking the fruit first, why? Isn’t it just a waste of time and energy? Crumble is my favourite pudding so I cook it regularly and have never thought the fruit wasn’t cooked sufficiently without pre-cooking - eg apple, plum, rhubarb, berries.

Because it cooks the fruit more. I've had crumbles before where the apple especially is still quite hard so would benefit from cooking first. Only takes an extra 5/10 mins

Don’t skimp on the butter.
Use real butter.

With apple crumble I cook the fruit in a frying pan with fresh orange juice for 4 or 5 minutes because I like it quite chunky and that means it's properly cooked.

I add chopped pecans and a dash of cinnamon to the crumble mix for apple crumble. For rhubarb I add almonds and a dash of ginger.

I make my crumble mix in a double or triple batch in the food processor then tip the second and third portions into Ziploc bags for the freezer.

That way next time I need a dessert I can tip frozen fruit and sugar in a dish, tip the frozen crumble mix on and have a super easy pudding.

Raymind Blanc does a wonderful crumble, where he cooks the crumble seperately to get it really crunchy. I would do a half and hald. One half if the crumble on top of the fruit, the other half on a baking tray for the crunch, just put the crunch on top before dishing up.

About a million years ago, I was taught at school to rub the butter in with my fingers. I was delighted to learn that melting the butter then just stirring it in is not only quicker and easier, but also better.

O level recipe for comparison.
200g flour
100g butter
100g sugar
Method: rub sugar and fat into flour with your fingertips.

Better version
200g flour
100g sugar (I usually use golden caster)
125g melted butter.
optional but good to add: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg
Method: Mix with fork.

Yum.

Actually I do.

I stew the apple in water with a dash of brown sugar towards the end just to get a faintly caramelised effect.

The crumble topping I use rolled oats, butter (never anything more oily: has to be butter), and, like a pp, I like the slightly gooey layer where fruit meets crunch which means you really need a bit of flour HOWEVER I often substitute almond meal to make it a little healthier and I quite like the almond taste.

Just rub the oats, butter, ground almonds/flour together, bit of brown sugar to taste and to help the topping caramelise, bung it on top of the hot fruit and straight in the oven till it bubbles. Serve with best quality vanilla ice-cream!