Apple Crumble

Serves 4

From http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/oct/14/how-to-make-perfect-crumble

Ingredients

• 150g plain flour, or 100g plain flour and 50g ground almonds
• 125g chilled, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 35g demerara sugar
• 35g caster sugar, plus extra for the fruit as required
• About 900g fresh fruit, stoned or cored as necessary and cut into chunks – cooking apples should be softened in a pan with a tablespoon of water and a little sugar first
• Handful of porridge oats / chopped nuts (optional)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
2. Combine the flour, ground almonds (if using), and butter in a food processor or large bowl, and pulse briefly, or rub with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles very coarse breadcrumbs with a few larger lumps. Add the sugars and stir through.
3. Sprinkle with a little cold water and rake through with a fork until you have a lumpy, crumbly mixture. Put this in the freezer for 10 minutes, or if making ahead, in the fridge until you're ready to bake.
4. Meanwhile, put your prepared fruit in a lightly greased, shallow baking dish, and sprinkle with sugar – taste it first to see how much you think it needs. You can also add any spices at this point (½ tsp ground cinnamon or ginger, for example, for apples or plums).
5. Arrange the crumble over the top of the fruit – don't press it down – and sprinkle with oats or nuts if using. Bake for about half an hour, until golden and bubbling, and serve slightly cooled.