Easy-Peasy Apple, Blackcurrant and Tayberry Crumble

It's 10pm on a Monday evening and the rain is lashing outside, I'm exhausted and for the first time I have taken to my bed with the laptop and a huge cup of tea to write this post. I've been guilty of 'blog-neglect' lately so although I have to be up in seven and a half hours (who's counting ??), I thought I'd get a quick post out.

I made this crumble, and took the photos quite a while ago and have been meaning to make this again for the last few days / weeks, but time keeps on running away with me...

On the subject of bed, it's one of my favourite places to be. As a young, single person I would talk on the phone, eat, write and, of course, read all from my beloved pit. Now, I'm older and all that has changed, although when Cupcake was younger we would sprawl out on the bed on weekend mornings and read fairy tales and eat biscuits, that was such fun. When I'm at Labour of Love I must admit I do revert to form a little. My bedroom there is divine with a lovely cream furry throw, it's so chilled, and of course I don't have to rise before dawn!

Anyway, where was I?? On with the recipe, I've got to get up soon !

Preheat your oven to 200 deg.

Ingredients

400gr fruit 

Crumble topping

175g Flour

75g Butter or margarine
75g Sugar + extra for dousing fruit and crumble top

Method

1. I love how easy this is. I took some frozen tayberries (picked from my garden) and some frozen blackberries (picked from the hedgerows), no need to defrost and mixed them with some tart granny smith apples - about 2 or 3 apples peeled, cored and sliced. The frozen fruit does not need to be defrosted. This is also a good recipe to use up your old apples or pears. (I make a lovely pear and chocolate chip crumble using pears which have seen better days..)

I put all of the fruit in a pyrex and scatter over 2 tablespoons of the sugar and leave all the juices to meld whilst I get on with the crumble.



I used lovely PURE soy margarine (I swear they should pay me commission the amount of free publicity I give them!) but I do love it, measure out all of the ingredients, put in a food processor and whizz! It's as easy as that. As soon as the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, stop whizzing !

If you don't have a food mixer or processor then you can mix the butter and sugar into the flour with your  (clean) fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pour the crumble over the fruit and scatter a little more sugar over the crumble (if you want to). This caramelizes in parts in the oven and gives the top an even more crunchy and chewy texture. Yum !

Place in then oven and bake on 200 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes. The fruit will be bubbling through the surface of the crumble and the crumble itself will be turning brownish when it is done. In the photo below, this could probably have had a few more minutes for a more caramelized topping.

3. Serve with custard, cream or ice cream. Yum !!

Night-night !

Exercise update:

Monday 10 Jan 2011- 4 miles moderate run

Sunday 9 Jan 2011 - 8 mile slow run