Perfect Pear & Apple Crumble Recipe

APPLE & PEAR CRUMBLE RECIPE

Crumble … the perfect winter dessert – and since winter is coming up, I’ve been working up some crumble recipes looking for that unique touch to elevate the humble crumble. I recently spoke to a friend who has been cooking using recipes from Sexy Cooking, and she said that my descriptions, as of recent, have become to succinct – that she wanted to be guided more. So, on that note, I will be providing more details again on the various elements of the cooking.

Crumbles apparently we originated in Britain during WWII. Because ingredients were strictly rationed, making pie bases became impossible because of the amount of flour, fat and sugar used in making the pastry base and topping. The crumble topping used less flour, sugar and margarine – becoming popular due to its simplicity and frugality.

Apple Crumble Fruit Filling with Cinnamon

Making the crumble filling

So the crumble is a game of two halves – first preparing the fruit, then preparing the crumble itself. If you are visiting from outside of the UK, you might not be familiar with the ‘fruit crumble’, but it is effectively a topping very similar to the crumb topping on coffee cakes. The fruit filling can be flavoured with spices such as cinnamon or if you are feeling a bit more exotic, you can caramelise some cardamon to elevate your crumble filling. Some people like to stew the fruit first, to bring out further sweetness in the dish – and this complements to the texture of the crumble well, by sinking into the crumble mix, creating a combination of crunchy topping and chewy base once cooked.

COOKING HINT:

You can also sprinkle a little brown sugar on top of the crumble mixture just before baking in order to add a little extra crunch by caramelising the surface.

Crumble Mix

Ingredients for Perfect Pear & Apple Crumble Recipe

100 grams of caster sugar
150 grams of plain flour
75 grams of butter

To make the crumble, simply add all the ingredients together in a bowl and ‘pinch’ the butter or margarine into the sugar & flour mixture till it forms a crumbly texture (what are the chances, eh, given the name!?)

The fruit base can be pre-stewed for a few minutes in a little water and sugar plus spices of your choice. Some good flavour additions can include orange peel, vanilla, cardamon, cinnamon – though I wouldn’t suggest adding them all of once! Just try one at a time at first. Cinnamon is an obvious match with apple crumbles and a little cardamon works surprisingly well with pears. You may want to consider caramelising the fruit a little before starting the stewing … this is simple a case of adding a little butter to a pan, allow to melt till bubbling – add a touch a sugar, let this melt into the butter and then fry the fruit for a few minutes in the butter / sugar mixture – don’t add water afterwards  as it will cause the sugar to solidify.

Golden Crunchy Crumble with Pear & Apple Recipe ... done.

Once your fruit is ready (after a few minutes cooking), place into your cooking dish (this can be any shallow or deep oven dish) so the fruit is around 1 to 2 inches deep and cover liberally in your crumble mixture. Place in oven to cook for around 30 minutes at 170 degrees and serve warm with custard or cream – deliciously sexy and warming in the winter.

COOKING HINT: Allowing the crumble to cook slowly so that the fruit gets a chance to really caramelise in the dish – you should see the fruit bubbling around the edge of the crumble – then you know it’s ready!