Saturday 9 September 2017

Blackberry and apple crumble: more cosy comfort food

Legend has it that on my first birthday I demanded blackberries and sausages for breakfast; tired of arguing with me about my food choices (I might have been a bit of a fussy eater - I know, you'd never believe it now) my parents gave in and that's what I had. Almost (exactly) 39 years on, I still think this is a perfectly valid breakfast option; in fact I believe it's an early version of the now trendy "paleo" diet. Anyway, the point is I love blackberries, and their appearance all over the place, from countryside hedgerows to IKEA car parks, means it's nearly my birthday - yay me.

People often refer to berry picking as a fun childhood activity. I'm not so sure. Our Granny used to take us to Brimham Rocks to pick bilberries, and we'd kneel in the thorny brush for hours, filling ice cream tub after ice cream tub with tiny little purple berries. We certainly had a sense of achievement, and a happy Grandma, but I'm not sure it was "fun". Try it now as an adult and it's entertaining for about half an hour. So if you can find one, take a small child and tell them it's fun - it should keep them quiet for a while anyway.

I was lamenting the fact that it's a bit tricky to find brambles in the city, and it seems an outrage to pay for plastic packaged ones in the supermarket, when we were walking a section of the capital ring a couple weeks ago. As we huffed and puffed up a small hill with a pond at the top, I realised we were surrounded by brambles loaded with ripe blackberries. Unlike popular walking spots like Hamspead Heath, this trail was quiet and the bushes barely touched by London foragers. If only I'd brought a container with me! But no, we had to walk past mile after mile (I may be exaggerating a tiny bit) of brambles, taunting me with their giant juicy fruit.


Back in the Barbican, I hunted around for any hidden wilderness, community orchards or neglected car parks, but any potential bushes had been stripped bare before I got there. I did, however, stumble upon the Barbcian residents' allotments, located around the back of Shakespeare tower. Chatting to one of the allotmenteers for this month's BarbicanLife magazine, I discovered the range of unusual fruit and veg being cultivated right here in the concrete, despite the dry and windswept conditions (and occasional thief). I even picked up a few tips for our balcony gardening exploits, such as sheltering more delicate plants with larger more sturdy ones to protect them from the wind. 


So if you're lucky enough to have countryside and child labour to hand, this crumble is a delicious way to enjoy your foraged fruit. If not, local farmers markets are the best place to pick up reasonably priced fresh seasonal fruit. Either way, the chill of autumn in the air calls for hot, comforting puddings, and this fits the bill perfectly.

Ingredients
(Serves 4)

For the crumble
75g cold unsalted butter, cubed
100g plain flour
25g ground almonds
50g sugar
2 tbsp finely chopped nuts (optional)

For the filling
1 cooking Apple
400g blackberries
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon 



Method

1. To make the crumble, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the ground almonds and sugar. Sprinkle with a little cold water, mix briefly and chill.


2. Peel and core the apple and cut into chunks. Add to a pan with a tablespoon of water and another of sugar, and soften over a low heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add the apple, blackberries, cinnamon and a tablespoon of sugar to a pie dish. Top with the crumble mixture and sprinkle over the chopped nuts, if using.


4. Bake at 180C for 45 minutes until the top is golden


Serve with hot custard and eat on the sofa in front of the latest BBC drama. 

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