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!

It also helps to create that layer that is the real delight of crumble that manifests between crunchy topping and fruit because it gives out the necessary fruit syrup to help this form.

Otherwise you end up with chunky fruit and a separate layer of topping, like a bad marriage: both technically there but not truly melded.

I cook the fruit first. Not too much. But you must let it cool completely before topping with the crumble. I substitute two tbs flour with 2tbs muesli.

I use Delia's recipe from her How to Cook books.

But when I inherited an Aga, I went on one of their 'Learn to cook with an Aga' days, where they made an amazing crumble. She mixed the topping in a Kitchenaid (so easy if you've already got one), added grated marzipan - it was lush. And in with the fruit, she added diced stem ginger - again, lush! Her recipe (but I would adapt to your needs!):

3 pears peeled and sliced
4 apples peeled and sliced
1/2 lemon - juiced
30g light brown soft sugar
25g stem ginger - diced
100g cranberries
1 orange - zested
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
150g plain flour
125g butter
40g light brown sugar
40g marzipan - grated
30g chopped almonds
30g chopped hazelnuts.

I like the melted butter method described above, it's so easy and less messy and really crunchy.

Re: pre cooking the fruit, it depends what it is, specifically how firm it is.
Cooking apples are ok not pre cooked only if you slice them really thinly. If you want chunks, it needs a bit of a stew first.
Rhubarb needs stewing first.
For my easiest ever, I use frozen soft fruits which don't need anything other than a spoon of sugar and top with the melted butter topping, it's ready in under 10 mins. I usually prep a few hours before cooking and leave on the worktop so the fruit is probably a bit defrosted by the time I bake.

Did you find the Delia Smith teaching site? https://www.deliaonline.com/

Its completely free to use and literally has boiling eggs as well as structured courses and lessons on specific skills. It is perfect for new cooks or anyone who fears burning water!

I’m not a massive user of her books (I’m a veggie) but I admire that she invested a lot of her own fortune simply to help ordinary people learn basic skills to advanced practice.

How long does everyone cook their crumble for and at what temperature? I’m wondering if that’s the difference in why I don’t need to precook the fruit.

Takes about 30-40 mins in a fan oven

That sounds like Christmas cake!

I wouldn’t with berries, and not with plums if they were lovely and soft already. But with apple and rhubarb I wouldn’t quite trust that they’d cook down enough in the oven - I don’t want it like a puree, but lightly stewing it first helps give out a bit of liquid liquidiness which helps the crumble topping sit nicely on the top. I’ve never found I’ve overcooked the fruit doing it like this, but sometimes I’ve had still a bit hard apple, when the topping is all golden and perfect. Apples can be tricksy - sometimes they soften up v fast and sometimes it takes longer.

When I can't be bothered to wait I put in into smaller dishes & stick it in the air fryer, takes about 10 mins