This seasonal treat makes a good group activity and it's even more fun if you can gather the brambles (blackberries) yourselves.
Ingredients
450-500g brambles and cooking apple mixed;
2 tablespoons sugar;
pinch of mixed spice.
For the crumble topping:
90g plain brown flour;
60g sugar;
30g butter;
2 tablespoons water
Utensils
Chopping boards;
sharp knives;
two mixing bowls;
large spoon;
baking dish of roughly 700ml capacity, and deep rather than shallow
Method
- First prepare the crumble topping. Put the flour and butter into the mixing bowl and rub in with the fingers until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs.
- Wash and core the apples and give each child a piece to cut up into thin pieces. Avoid having any thick chunks, as they could be still raw at the end of the cooking time. As they are done, put the pieces into the other mixing bowl along with the water.
- Toss the brambles about on clean, damp newspaper to remove any dust, and pick out any mouldy ones. Then tip them on to the apples, add the mixed spice and the sugar and mix everything together.
- Tip the mixture into the baking dish, make level and then sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the top. Make sure that all the fruit is covered.
- Place the baking dish on the middle shelf of an oven ready heated to gas mark 3-4, 170 degs-180 degsF. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. If the oven is too hot, the fruit mixture will bubble up through the topping, so check it once or twice. When done, the crumble should be an inviting golden-brown colour.
- Leave to cool a little after removing from the oven so the fruit isn't too hot.
- Serve with home-made custard, evaporated milk or creme frache.
Variations
- Instead of the brambles and the mixed spice, you could add some raspberries to the apples, which will produce a bright pink crumble.
- Make an all-apple crumble. But for the very best taste, add a few sultanas, a big pinch of cinnamon and a few gratings of nutmeg.
