Apple Cinnamon and Sultana Crumble
Comfort eating is what we need on cold wintery days, especially with a Covid-stricken son whose favourite food is crumble. This is made with cooking apples whose tartness and texture are more guaranteed to produce the perfect crumble with the option of adding sultanas for extra sweetness or a spoonful of sugar as you wish. If you have a tart crisp eating apple in plentiful supply, perfect. The key is to make sure they are tart and crisp so you avoid a floury textured filling which can be overly sweet.
Let’s talk about crumble toppings. They can vary so much from granola oaty healthy toppings which feel more like breakfast, to a buttery crumbly biscuity topping. I favour the latter, so that is what the ingredients below are for. But if you prefer a healthier crumble, by all means, reduce the sugar, omit it from the fruit, or use coconut sugar instead (it has a low glycemic index). If you are going for the full sugar hit, then demerara adds a crunch. You could always opt for half demerara and half coconut sugar.
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
Filling
50g/1.8oz unsalted butter
650g/oz 1.4lb cooking apples
1 tsp ground cinnamon
75g/2.6oz sultanas or raisins
Crumble
100g/3.5oz ground almonds
100g/3.5oz unsalted butter
100g/3.5oz demerara sugar
100g/3.5oz gluten free oats (oats are gluten free but are often manufactured in an environment where gluten may contaminate the oats)
For the filling, melt the butter over a medium heat in a heavy based pan.
Peel the apples and add the chopped fruit to the pan. Heat it through until is has softened a little. You may need to add a little water so that the apples do not catch on the base of the pan.
Stir in the cinnamon and sultanas.
Set aside to cool before adding the crumble topping.
5. Put the dry ingredients in a bowl and grate in cold butter. With your fingers, lightly mix it into the dry ingredients, lifting the ingredients up so aerate and help ensure you have a light crumble.
6. Keep in the fridge until you are going to bake, or freeze, covered in clingfilm until use.
7. Preheat the oven to 190C/374F and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
8. Serve with custard, ice cream, cream ….
