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Recipes for home-cooked crumble

Baked autumn fruits bubbling up through toppings, swirling into custard and cream, enjoyed on laps or gathered at the table – there’s no dish better suited to autumn evenings than crumble. And none taste quite as satisfying as the ones you bake yourself. If you’re in need of a recipe, these come recommended by the experts…

Alexandra Dudley’s Pear & Blackberry Crumble

Serves 8

Ingredients:
For the filling
5 ripe-but-firm pears
230g blackberries
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tbsp flour, I use white spelt flour but plain or GF blend works well, too
2 tbsp light-brown soft sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp vanilla

For the crumble
250g porridge oats
200g white spelt flour (plain or GF blend work well, too)
170g light-brown soft sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
50g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
200ml olive oil

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
  2. Peel and core the pears and chop into roughly inch-sized pieces. Add to a large bowl with the blackberries, spices, flour, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Toss well to combine.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the crumble ingredients and mix well, until the mixture has a firm, but malleable consistency.
  4. Pour the pear and blackberry mixture into a large oven-proof dish and spoon over the crumble topping, pressing down slightly, until all the fruit is covered.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes to an hour. Serve warm from the oven with yoghurt, cream, ice cream, or just as it is.

Julius Roberts’ Plum Crumble

Ingredients:
For the filling
1kg plums, halved and destoned
Juice of a lemon
40g caster sugar
8 cardamom pods

For the crumble
170g butter, chilled

130g demerara sugar

200g wholemeal flour

100g oats or ground almonds

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5.
  2. Starting with the plums, cut them in half and remove the stones. Place in a pan, cover with the caster sugar, squeeze in the juice of a lemon and muddle together by hand. Leave the plum mix to marinate while you make the crumble.
  3. Cube the cold butter and add to a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and flour. Mix together, then start crumbling the mixture between your fingers until it has a nice texture. You want a mix of large and smaller clusters. Place the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes, then remove and stir through the oats.
  4. Scatter the cardamoms over the plums, then roughly cover with the crumble mix. Spread the crumble to the edges, then place in the oven and bake for around 45 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling. Serve with ice cream, crème fraîche or thick clotted cream. Any leftovers make a fantastic breakfast with a dollop of natural yoghurt.

Kirthanaa Naidu’s Maple & Miso Apple Crumble

Ingredients:
For the filling
400g apples (approx. 5 small)
3 tbsp light brown sugar
3 tbsp maples syrup

For the crumble
150g unsalted butter, cold and in chunks
200g plain flour
2 tbsp miso paste
3 tbsp demerara sugar
4 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C /fan 160°C /gas 4.
  2. Prepare the apples by peeling, coring and chopping them into small chunks. Place the prepared apples in a baking tray, then add the brown sugar and maple syrup and combine well.
  3. Ensure that the butter is cold, then cut it into chunks. In a separate bowl, rub together the flour, butter and miso paste, until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Stir in the roasted sesame seeds and demerara sugar.
  4. Spread the crumble mixture evenly on top of the apples in the baking tray.
  5. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the crumble turns golden and the apples are cooked through. Serve with custard or cold cream – and enjoy!