Apple Crumble

Name: Apple Crumble
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 4 Granny Smith apples; 1/2 lemon, juiced; 1 1/2 cups plain flour; 1/2 cup brown sugar; Pinch ground cinnamon; Pinch ground cloves; 125g cold butter, cubed, plus extra for buttering; Whipped cream or ice cream, for serving

I have more of a savoury than a sweet palate, so I don’t make a lot of desserts. When I do, they have to be super quick and easy like this delicious apple crumble. If you have a sweeter palate you might like to toss some castor sugar through the apples to balance the tartness of the lemon juice. You can use this topping with other fruits such as pears, quinces, pears, plums, nectarines and peaches (even canned or bottled fruit if you’re short on time). And you can also make individual serves in small ramekins or ovenproof bowls if you prefer (pictured). For something different, try a glass of d’Arenberg The Daddy Long Legs Extremely Rare NV, a fortified port-style wine with lots of delicious nutty, dried fruit and caramel notes, yet a dry enough finish to sit beautifully alongside this simple dessert.

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

4 Granny Smith apples
½ lemon, juiced
1½ cups plain flour
½ cup brown sugar
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
125g cold butter, cubed, plus extra for buttering
Whipped cream, ice cream or custard, for serving

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Peel and core apples and cut into chunks.
Toss apple through lemon juice, place in a buttered pie dish and set aside.
Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and cloves in a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers, squeezing the mixture well so it clumps together.
Crumble mixture over the top of the apples and bake for 25-30 minutes until crunchy and golden.
Serve hot or warm with whipped cream, ice cream or custard.