September is a magical time of year. As we ease from long and sunny days into fresh mornings, & cosy nights in, it is a wonderful time to take a look at all the changes taking place in our surroundings. I was amazed at the beautiful Harvest Moon a few nights ago, and after a bit of research, discovered that this moon got its name as farmers used to use the especially bright glow to enable them to harvest food through the night. This makes sense, as many vegetables including beetroot, carrots, kale, garlic, leeks, and onions are ready to pull from the soil at this time of year.
But it is also berry season. The woodlands and hedges are filled with all kinds of berries – from elderberries, to wild strawberries, and most importantly, blackberries! Nothing quite beats a homemade bowl of blackberry & apple crumble with a big dollop of custard. So here’s a simple recipe for a pudding so sweet, simple, and delicious.
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 cups blackberries from the local hedgerows
- 6 medium cooking apples
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- Juice of one lemon
Topping
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cup oats
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup butter – room temp
To serve
- Cream/custard/vanilla ice-cream
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Add the flour, sugar, and salt for the topping into a bowl and mix together.
- Chop the butter into cubes, and then rub it into this mixture until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the oats.
- Peel, core and chop the apples into small chunks. Juice the lemon into a pan, and add the cubes of apples, and blackberries. Heat this mixture on a low heat, to soften the fruit. Add a tablespoon of water if needed.
- After 10 minutes or so, pour this mixture into an ovenproof baking dish.
- Sprinkle the topping over the fruit, and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
- Leave to cool for a few minutes before serving up with a dollop of cream, custard, or ice cream!
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