Crumbles

keatergreyhound

Hi all again
Ive brought some strawberries and raspberries for a crumble from the market yesterday. I asked the stallholder for some apples suitable for cooking with and he looked at my blankley. Can anyone please tell me what there called and where I can get them from. I thought the local market was a goos start.
Also can anyone reccomened a good crumble recipe including cooking temps for me. A begineers one please. I shall report back later on. I would also please need to know what fruit to crumble topping ratio I need.
Thanks
Keater

flea72

its usually bramley apples for cooking, but if i have other apples that need using up, then i dont worry too much about variety

i dont have a crumble topping recipe as i tend to buy if ready made (yes i know its more expensive), but i dont like the feeling of flour on my hands, when you do the rubbing in lol

as for toping to fruit ratio, its however much you want to add - i like a thick topping, so i just put it on, until its about 1" thick and all the fruit is covered

squeaky

Bramleys are great for cooking

As for your recipe needs - click on the blue (The Indexes) in my signature and go to the Old Style recipe Index. Click on sweets and there's a recipe for rhubarb and strawberry crumble there. The crumble recipe is bullet proof

Edit: For the recipe Click Here

rchddap1

As far as crumble goes...I usually just start to make short crust pasty. Except I swop out some of the flour for sugar.

Bung in the fruit (with some sugar if the fruit is a little 'tart'), bung the crumble on the top and bung in the oven. Temperature..whatever you feel like. I generally use around 170 (F I think, but don't quote me...not to good on temps).

If you're worried about the crumble burning (eg, rhubarb crumble) cook the fruit first (partially), tip out some of the juice, bung the crumble on top and bung in the oven.

Lillibet_2

Crumble

If hard fruit, like apples or pears, stew in a little fruit juice in a saucepan over a low heat until sofened. You may wish to add sugar at the start of the stewing process to sweeten. Stewing shouldn't take long, 10 mins at most.
If soft fruit, like raspberries or strawberries or balckberries I don't bother stewing. If tinned fruit don't stew as this is already quite soft & will break down to mush if stewed.
You can mix the types of fruits, soft fruit usually sweetens hard fruit. You may wish to add a dash or lemon or lime juice.

Line bottom of suitable oven proof dish with fruit.

Mix any combo of the following together with melted butter/marg or oil to bind slightly:
Flour
Rolled Oats
Chopped nuts
Chopped dried fruit
Musli or crushed cereal/ends of packets that you want to use up!
Brown Sugar

Do not use so much butter/oil as to make the topping wet, it should be slightly damp & just about start to clump together but should still be very crumbly. If you make the topping to wet either add more dry ingredients or cook for longer.

Pack topping down firmly with a spoon & bake at about 150 degrees for about 25 mins or until fruit just begins to bubble around the edges of the topping if topping is thin.

HTH

Curry_Queen

I like lots of crumble topping so usually make double the quantity than most recipes use. Just whizz the flour and butter in the processer, if you don't like rubbing in by hand, and stir in sugar/oats/nuts etc to taste!

Commercial packets are just soooo expensive!!!! :eek:

keatergreyhound

Fantastic I had a good look thanks
As we speak we have a crumble and a Dotty choc cake in the oven. Cant wait for them to be done!

raeble

If you use normal eating apples, don't bother cooking them because they will mash out too much - or don't cook them for longer than five minutes or so. Bramleys - these will be fine if you cook them first as they tend to hold their shape.

Cullumpster

How do you guys make a savoury crumble for say chicken crumble, is it the same but miss out the sugar?
Sorry if i sound a bit dumb

Lillibet_2

I stick the chicken in white/vegetable sauce or gravy, maybe mix a bit of chopped bacon in & top with flour, herbs & maybe grated cheese. But I have never seen a proper recipe & tend to make it up as I go, I could be way off........interested to know from any more experienced chefs?

MATH

Crumble is sooo easy to make that once you've done it you will never buy an overpriced, underweight packet mix again.

CRUMBLE
Whatver quantity of plain flour you are using rub in half the weight of fat (I use butter usually). Stir in same weight of sugar as fat, most recipes say caster but I use bog standard granny and get good results (even for sponge cakes). At this point you can add anything else you like, nuts, oats, semolina.

FRUIT
Soft fruit I just wash and sugar. Hard fruit I soften off in the micro first.

Once everything is assembled I cook at 220 c for about an hour.(This is my fall-back cooking time/temp for anything and everything. If it starts to look too brown I turn the oven down.

Edit: Apple and strawberry is luuuuuurvly. Par-cook the apple a bit then add the strawberrys before chucking on the crumble. When making an apple and somthing crumble/pie I use 3/4 apple to 1/4 other fruit.