How to make great crumbles

THE DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS TOPPING It should be generous (at least 1.5cm deep) to provide a crisp contrast to the soft fruit below. TEXTURE The more butter and sugar in the crumble mix, the crisper it will be; the more flour, the sandier the texture. We suggest a sandier topping with softer fruit such as rhubarb and summer berries, and a crunchier topping with more robust fruit such as apples and pears.

FRUIT There should be plenty of it, and, when cooked, the fruit should be tender but not reduced to a purée. If using fruit that collapses quickly, such as forced rhubarb and summer berries, add other firmer fruit that will retain their shape.

THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS FRUIT

Make crumbles with whatever’s in season.

BUTTER Is essential for the crumble topping, not margarine. It gives a gorgeous biscuity taste.

FLOUR Use plain flour, not self-raising (the latter gives the crumble an almost cake-like texture). You can replace some or all of the flour with wholemeal flour for a nuttier flavour.

SUGAR Use whichever sugar you prefer. Caster gives a cleaner taste for delicately flavoured fruit. The browner the sugar, the more caramel-tasting the dessert will be.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS CORNFLOUR

Adding a little cornflour to fruit that leaches a lot of juice will thicken juices into a sauce as the crumble cooks. Adjust the amount according to the ripeness of the fruit (riper fruit will release more liquid as it cooks). SUGAR Adjust the amount of sugar in the fruity layer according to the ripeness and sweetness of the fruit.

COOKING As long as harder fruit is sliced thinly and berries left whole, even unripe fruit will cook in the time it takes for the topping to turn crisp and brown.

HOW TO JAZZ IT UP…

• Add citrus zest to the fruit: lemon zest and juice to gooseberries; orange zest and juice to rhubarb; lime zest and juice to tropical fruit mixtures. • Reduce the sugar and add a little marmalade or jam to the fruit mixture. Marmalade goes well with quinces or apples, apricot jam with apricots or apples.

• Add a handful of oats to the flourbased crumble mix, or make it almost entirely from oats for a flapjack-style topping. • Use pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds, nuts, lightly toasted coconut and coarsely crushed amaretti biscuits or ginger nuts for additional flavour in the topping.

• Add chopped chocolate or choc chips to the crumble mix – great with pears.

• For our master recipe, search for ‘blackberry and apple crumble’ at deliciousmagazine.co.uk