I’m calling this apple crumble “rustic” not only because it’s not a fancy-pants dish, but also because the photo above shows it served in some rustic pottery I bought from the original potter on a road trip I can’t even remember how long ago!

Sometimes things just work better made in the same baking dishes. Don’t you think? When I was younger, having things matchy-matchy seemed important. Not any more. I don’t have a matching set of oven dishes or baking trays. My kitchen-ware is from different periods in my life, and I have inherited others. I like making things in the dishes I’m used to making them in. The memories, and years of use, add to the flavour 😀.

I like to think of it as having more wabi-sabi in the kitchen. Earlier I wrote about the wabi-sabi of keeping and referring to old, faded recipes. I do it, because I think they’re beautiful. Same with my old, favourite baking dishes.

This recipe is an old favourite too. And you can use it with pretty much any fruit you like.

While you’re whipping up your crumble, here’s a poem I wrote celebrating both apples, and the kind of memories I talk about above.

“I know the look of an apple that is roasting and sizzling on a hearth on a winter’s evening, and I know the comfort that comes of eating it hot, along with some sugar and a drench of cream.”
-Mark Twain, Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1

Ingredients

Filling

9-11 green Granny Smith apples (depending on size), peeled, cored and sliced. I prefer Granny Smiths because they are not too sweet
¼ cup sugar
little bit lemon juice
sprinkling of cinnamon if you like cinnamon
other fruit if desired. If I have a few leftover blueberries or raspberries I will thrown them in. Sultanas work nicely.

Topping

225 g plain flour – you can use wholemeal, or gluten free
115 g unsalted butter, chopped
100 g caster sugar
pinch salt

Instructions

Filling

Put fruit into saucepan with sugar and a bit of lemon juice to stop it browning. Add half cup water to cover the base of the saucepan. Cover the saucepan, bring to boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Stew the apples until soft but not pureed, unless that's the texture you prefer. Take care not to steam off all the water. If mix is too liquidy, drain a little.
Sprinkle with cinnamon if using, and put into baking dish. Add berries if using.

Topping

Topping can be made in advance and kept in fridge until required.
Combine ingredients. Using hands (sorry, I prefer hands because of the greater control than a blender) rub butter through the flour. The flour will turn from white to a light yellow. The texture you're going for is thick breadcrumbs. Don't worry if it's a little lumpy – lumpy can be good – as long as the butter is blended through.

Baking

Preheat oven to 210℃/410℉.
Spread topping loosely on filling and bake for about half an hour or until top is golden and starting to crisp.
Serve with cream, ice cream, custard or on its own.

Hello!

Rustic Apple Crumble