Blackberries!

One of the joys of  late summer and early autumn when I was a kid was going out with a big ol' Tupperware container and going to where all the bramble bushes were and picking a load of blackberries. Of course, we stuffed our faces with them too. Later, when we got back home, my mother (or grandmother, depending where we were) would use them to make one of any number of  dessert items or jams. My favourite was always this one...

An English classic, served with either custard or cream. Also enjoyed hot or cold. The basic crumble topping can be used to crown virtually any fruit filling you could think of. Adjust your quantities of apples and blackberries to suit your own taste.

Blackberry and Apple Crumble


Ingredients

Crumble Topping

225g Plain or wholewheat flour

75g Butter (room temperature)

75g - 110g Soft Brown Sugar (to taste)

Filling

600g Cooking Apples (Bramleys, if you can get them)

300g Blackberries

25g Soft Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons of Water

Method

Pre-heat the oven to gas 4 or 180 centigrade.

Core, peel and slice the apples and place in a saucepan with the water and sugar. Cook gently until the apples are soft. Put the cooked apples into a casserole (1.75 litre) and prepare the crumble topping. Rinse the blackberries and mix gently with the cooked apples when ready.

Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the butter. Rub the flour and butter together until it looks crumbly and the butter has been evenly dispersed through the flour. Add the sugar and mix together to ensure that everything is combined.

Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the top the cooked apples and blackberries using a fork to even out the distribution but don't press it down.

Cook in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until lightly golden brown.

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