Hand-picked Apple and Blackberry Crumble

Remember those chilly days of your childhood? Those days where the wind howled outside while you sat beneath a blanket, warming up over a crumble your mother or grandma had made? I remember those days fondly, and today I found myself needing some nostalgic comfort. After picking some fruit from the garden and spending a little time in the kitchen, voila, instant childhood happiness in a bowl.

My garden has been positively full to bursting with pears, apples and blackberries, and so I've hand-picked the ripest of the latter two for this recipe. Cooking the apples for a shorter time as per my recipe keeps them from turning mushy (no-one wants to present mushy fruit to their guests now, do they.)

Ingredients

For your crumble

* 60g caster sugar
* 120g plain flour
* 60g unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into pieces

For your compote

* 30g unsalted butter
* 30g demerara sugar
* 300g apples (I'd recommend Braeburn or Bramley)
* 115g blackberries
* 1/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1.  Heat up your oven to 190C/170 fan/gas mark 5. Tip the flour and sugar into a large bowl. Add your butter and then use your fingertips to rub it into the flour, creating a light breadcrumb texture. This can take some practice. If you overwork it, the crumble will become heavy and not the light sprinkling from the gods that we're aiming for here. Once you're happy with your handiwork, sprinkle the mixture evenly over a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly coloured.

2. For the compote, peel, core and cut the apples into dices. Add the butter and sugar to a medium saucepan and melt them together over a medium heat. Let this cook for 3 minutes until the mixture turns to a light caramel. You may then stir in your apples and cook for a further three minutes while dancing on your kitchen floor to that song that's playing. Next, stop dancing for a moment to add the blackberries and cinnamon, cooking for 3 minutes more (work that floor again with your socks/stockings.) Remove from the heat after this time has lapsed, cover and leave for 2-3 minutes to continue cooking in the warmth of the pan.

3. Lastly, spoon the warm fruit into an overproof gratin dish, top with the crumble mix, then reheat in the over for 5-10 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or, as is my preference, creamy hot custard.