You are here

Crumbles

Anthony Clover's Crumbles
             Fruit crumbles - General
             Basic Crumble Topping
             Variations on the Crumble Topping
             Spiced Apple and Raisin Crumble
             Alternative Crumble Fillings
             Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble
             Gooseberry Crumble
             Damson (or Plum) and Cinnamon Crumble
             Dried Fruit Crumble
             Blackcurrant Crumble
             Raspberry Crumble
             Apple And Orange Crumble
Jay Reay's Crumble Hints
Crumble-Topping Style Apple Pie - Jennifer Klein
Cranberry Crumbles
             Cranberry-Cherry Crumble - Doug Essinger-Hileman
             A Question About Doug's Cranberry-Cherry Crumble - Marian Van Til
             The Reply - Doug Essinger-Hileman

Anthony Clover's Crumbles
These recipes come from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course [BBC 1978-1985 - ISBN 0-563-16535-9]. She has made her fortune from it and is now the virtual owner of Norwich Football Club ...
-----
Fruit crumbles - General
Crumbles are a good all-round family sweet dish, which can be varied not just by using fruits in season, but also by ringing the changes with the crumble topping. Whatever problems you may have with your pastry-making technique, you're absolutely safe with a crumble because there is no resting or roll-out involved.

Basic Crumble Topping
(serves 6 people)
8 oz plain flour (225 g) or - and I prefer it - wholewheat flour
5 oz soft brown sugar (150 g)
3 oz butter at room temperature (75 g)
1 level teaspoon baking powder
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350 deg. F (180 deg. C)
Place the flour in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle in the baking powder, then add the butter and rub it into the flour lightly, using your fingertips. Then when it all looks crumbly, and the fat has been dispersed fairly evenly, add the sugar and combine that well with the rest.
Now sprinkle the crumble mixture all over the fruit in a pie dish, spreading it out with a fork. Place the crumble on a high shelf in the oven and bake it for 30-40 minutes or until the top is tinged with brown.

Variations on the Crumble Topping
1. Instead of all flour use 4 oz wholewheat flour (1 log) and 4 oz jumbo or porridge oats (110 g).
2. Instead of all flour, use 4 oz wholewheat flour (1 log) and 4 oz muesli (1 log).
3. For a nut crumble topping, use 6 oz (175g) wholewheat flour and 3 oz chopped nuts (75 g). You will need to use only 3 oz of soft brown sugar (75 g) with the 3 oz of butter (75 g).

Spiced Apple and Raisin Crumble
(serves 6 people)
2 lb Bramley apples, peeled and sliced (900 g)
1 oz soft brown sugar (25 g)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 oz raisins (75 g)
2 tablespoons water
A 3 pint (1.75 litre) pie dish
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350 deg. F (180 deg. C)
Place the sliced apples, raisins, sugar and spices in a saucepan, sprinkle with the water, then cook gently until the apples are soft and fluffy. Spoon the mixture into the pie-dish and sprinkle with any of the crumble toppings above. Use a fork to even it out, but don't press it down at all. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the topping is tinged with brown.

Alternative Crumble Fillings
All the recipes that follow are cooked at the same temperature as the spiced apple and raisin crumble recipe above and are all cooked in the same size dish (3 pint or 1.75 litre). They all serve 6 people also.

Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble
Use 2 lb rhubarb (900 g)
3 oz soft brown sugar (75 g)
1 level teaspoon powdered ginger
Cut the rhubarb into chunks, then place in a saucepan together with the sugar and ginger. Cook over a gentle heat (covered) for 15 minutes, stirring to get the uncooked pieces at the top down into the heat. Try not to overcook it, though-it should be chunky, not mushy. When it's cooked, drain off about half the juice, then transfer the fruit to a pie-dish, sprinkle with a crumble topping, and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Gooseberry Crumble
Use 2 lb gooseberries (900 g) and 6 oz caster sugar (175 g).
Just top and tail the gooseberries, place them in the dish, and sprinkle in the caster sugar. Top straightaway with one of the crumble mixtures, and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 40-45 minutes.

Damson (or Plum) and Cinnamon Crumble
Use 2 lb damsons or plums (900 g)
4 oz demerara sugar (110 g)
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
Wash the damsons or plums, then place them whole in the pie-dish. Sprinkle them with the sugar and cinnamon, then spread with the crumble topping. I think the nut crumble mixture is the nicest for this. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the topping is tinged with brown. Note: plums should be stoned and halved, but damson stones are easier left for the diners to extract!

Dried Fruit Crumble
For this you can use any combination of dried fruits: prunes, apricots, figs, raisins etc. You need 1 lb mixed dried fruits (450 g), the zest and juice of 1 large orange and 2 oz demerara sugar (50 g).
Soak the fruit overnight in a deep bowl, covered with about 1 1/4 pints (720 ml) of water. Next day drain off 1/4 pint of the water, then place the rest of the water, the fruit and the sugar in a saucepan, bring to simmering point and simmer for 10 minutes or until the fruit is tender. Then stir in the orange juice and zest, pour the whole lot into the pie dish and top with the basic or the oat crumble, and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Blackcurrant Crumble
1 lb fresh blackcurrants (450 g)
2 tablespoons caster sugar

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350 deg. F (180 deg. C)
I think this particular crumble is nicest baked in a shallow 9 inch (23 cm) baking dish (or something similar). Strip the blackcurrants from their stalks, arrange them in the tin, sprinkle with the sugar, top with your choice of crumble, and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Raspberry Crumble
This is made in the same way as the blackcurrant crumble, but with 1 instead of 2 tablespoons of caster sugar sprinkled over.

Apple And Orange Crumble
This possibly rather richer recipe comes from The Dairy Book of British Food [Ebury Press for the Milk Marketing Board, 1988 - ISBN 0-85223-735-9]
The beauty of crumbles is that they are very easy to make, and good-tempered enough to have their cooking time and temperature adjusted a little to fit in with the rest of the menu. The only thing to make sure of is that the top is nicely golden, but not too brown. The recipe here uses apple and orange but any type of fruit can be used.
Serves 4-6
700 g (1 1/2 lb) cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced grated rind
and juice of 1 orange
25 g (1 oz) light soft brown sugar
100 g (4 oz) plain flour
50 g (2 oz) plain wholemeal flour
75 g (3 oz) butter
40 g (1 1/2 oz) icing sugar, sieved
1.25 mI (1/4 tsp) ground cinnamon
1. Put the apples, orange rind and juice and sugar into a 1.4 litre (2 1/2 pint) ovenproof serving dish.
2. Put the flours into a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Stir in the icing sugar and cinnamon, making sure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. 3. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the apple.
Bake at 200 deg. C (400 deg. F) mark 6 for 30-40 minutes, until the topping is crisp and golden.
Serve hot with fresh cream or custard.

Variations
1. Use any type of fresh fruit such as pears, rhubarb, plums, apricots, damsons or gooseberries.
2. Add the grated rind of an orange or lemon to the crumb mixture before sprinkling it over the fruit.
3. Replace 75 g (3 oz) of the flour with rolled oats, bran flakes or oatmeal.
4. Add 25 g (1 oz) chopped nuts such as almonds, walnuts or brazils to the crumble topping mixture.
5. Replace the cinnamon with mixed spice or ginger and add to the flour before rubbing in the butter.

Jay Reay's Crumble Hints
Soft fruits are generally not too good for crumbles, needing perhaps the steaming qualities of hard-case pies, or the high temperature quick baking of open tarts. I would think strawberries would break down pretty quickly, but they are delicious in an open tart, though I prefer other fruit.

Crumbles tend to soften their fillings noticeably, which is why they are very good for cooking apples (dessert apples turn to mush), plums, damsons and rhubarb. Blackberries and gooseberries are robust enough to be excellent fillings, and I would think cranberries (like red currants and blackberries) would do just as well, giving a tart nip to the taste buds as required by Doug.

I would serve blackberry and apple crumble with a traditional good custard, and plum, damson or gooseberry with creme fraiche d'isigny or thick cream, preferably clotted. I guess the secret for a good crumble is to cook it just enough to get a really good top - cooked all the way through, crisp on top with the sugar nicely caramelised, but not solidified.

Like the Ant, I like to add orange peel to gooseberry crumble too and often add a little good quality orange juice, and also mix red currants in to give it a better variation of taste and texture. A good quality single-flower honey makes a very pleasant gooseberry sweetener. Gooseberries (particularly those with a pink blush) are lovely summer-warm from the bush with good ice cream, or whipped into a fool, or even frozen in a frosted fruit concoction but can be a tad boring in large portions.

For the crumble topping we use wholemeal flour, unsalted butter and Demerara sugar. Fine chopped almonds add a superb taste but may be too delicate for a robust filling such as gooseberries or cranberries.

We use fine brown sugar (Muscovado light for sweetenings and light desserts, dark for puddings and savouries, Molasses sugar for chutneys) for most cooking and for sweetening coffee (white sugar other than caster or icing never gracing our shopping bags except for guests with no taste) but for cooked toppings like crumbles I find coarse Demerara gives a crunchy, caramelised top.

Dried fruit as a filling is a special favourite ever since my Granny introduced me to the luxury of such a wide range of fruit (she bottled fruit too but dried is better for crumbles) when I was a little boy after the War and exotic fruit such as bananas were still very scarce in Britain; it can be too sweet for my taste, so I add lime juice.

Crumble-Topping Style Apple Pie - Jennifer Klein
We discussed this style of pie awhile back and I meant to post it then. Since I am supposed to be guarding this recipe as a family "secret" (bah) I have not included the part for the crust - you are on your own there.

Dutch Apple Streusel Pie from Lois Halliwill
I have not included the recipe for the pastry. Use a basic sweet pastry dough to form the bottom shell of the pie. You will not need a top layer.
For the pie filling:
6 large apples (4-5 cups sliced; use Granny Smith, Pippin, or a good baking apple that has tartness)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup tapioca (the granulated type)
1 tbsp. Butter
Cinnamon to taste
Juice from 1 lemon
Dash of salt
8 inch pie tin (deep) with pastry in it
For the streusel topping:
1 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup cold butter
Peel and remove cores of apples, then slice into pieces about 1/2-inch thick.
Combine in a large bowl: sliced apples, tapioca, salt, lemon juice. Mix well and let this mixture sit for at least 5 minutes.
Add the sugar to the mix, season with cinnamon, and place the mixture into the pastry shell.
Time to make the streusel: Place the flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter in a large bowl and cut the butter into the flour mixture until well combined (use a pastry cutter for this). You will have a crumbly looking mixture.
Cover the apples generously with it (it will shrink as the butter melts).
Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for about an hour (or until the apples are soft and crust is a light brown). You may want to put a drip pan or foil under the pan, as the juice will drip.

Cranberry Crumbles
Cranberry-Cherry Crumble - Doug Essinger-Hileman
Bring 1 cup of port to a boil with 1 4-inch stick of cinnamon and 1 cardamon seed. Remove from the heat and let stand 10 minutes. Remove the spices, bring the spiced port back to a boil, and add 1 pound of cranberries and 1/2 pound of dark cherries. Cook until the cranberries begin to pop. (You can reduce the heat to prevent splattering, if you wish!)
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fruit to a casserole dish. Add liquid just until you can see the liquid (the level of the liquid should remain below the level of the fruit; you should use only about 1/3 of the available liquid). Top with the crumble mixture (5 ounces of whole wheat flour, 5 ounces of sugar and 1/2 cup butter, mixed until crumbly in texture). Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

A Question About Doug's Cranberry-Cherry Crumble - Marian Van Til
A question: I'm wondering about your cooking the cranberries first.
I just made a variation of this a few days ago. Inspired by your initial suggestion, I soaked fresh cranberries in port for a couple of days. Then threw them into a larger bowl with some sugar, cinnamon, cloves, orange zest (no cherries), and about 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour to soak up some of the port; added a crumble topping very much like yours, but with dark *brown* sugar and less butter, and baked for about a half hour. The consistency was perfect and it had a great texture.
And tasted wonderful with whipped cream.

The Reply - Doug Essinger-Hileman
This method of cooking was first inspired by a recipe I saw in Food and Wine magazine for cranberry relish. The advantages it has for this particular recipe are:
1) I wanted a very sublime taste of spice. Infusing the port with the cinnamon and cardamon was just perfect!
2) By precooking the cranberries, the cranberry juice mingles with the port/orange juice. This provides a wonderful juice to pour on top of the crumble at serving time.