Recipes: Autumn Blackberry & Apple Ginger Crumbles

Mmmm. You can't beat good, old-fashioned desserts like your mother used to make, can you? And while it seems mad to be thinking of autumn dishes when we haven't (in the UK) barely had a summer, the fruit on the blackberry brambles are ripening, we're just about to hit September, and this means autumn nights are drawing in.

I collected a few blackberries locally while out walking the dogs yesterday (I daren't tell you what I used to bag them in, but it was clean!), and so decided rather than try and do something whacky with the fruit, I'd put together a simple, warming and tasty vegan take on a crumble. The result was these delicious little pots of homely goodness.

The ginger added to the filling in my recipe here really gives it some extra kick - for the colder nights that will no doubt be upon us soon (cry!) - and it also really helps enhance the flavour of the autumn fruit.

Even though blackberries are currently in season - if you can go out and find some in your surrounding countryside or parks, then you will save a lot of money, as berries are always quite expensive I find, even when in season.

Just a tip that I learned from my Granny too - soak your hand-picked blackberries in a large bowl of salty, cold water for an hour or so before using, just to make them extra clean. Then drain and rinse to make them ready for your recipe.

This recipe can easily become a gluten-free version if you use a commercial gluten-free flour. The flour is the only gluten-containing ingredient and the recipe isn't one where the gluten is needed all that much. There won't be any real difference in opting for gluten-free, though I have just used standard flour because it is cheaper (and I had no gluten-free requirements - that is, my dad! - while baking this).

This is a really easy recipe which makes a welcoming, hug-of-a-pudding. You can serve these individual crumbles with vegan custard for some extra warmth and taste of home-comforts (you may need to turn them in another bowl), or try a dollop of vegan ice-cream on the top, if you want the contrast of the cold.

Suffice to say, these Autumn Blackberry & Ginger Crumbles will be featuring quite predominantly in my kitchen over the next couple of months. They are just too good not to eat more of.

Autumn Blackberry & Apple Ginger Crumbles
Makes 4 individual servings

Filling:

4 small red autumn apples, cored and chopped into 2cm pieces (peel left on)

2½ cups / 375g blackberries

⅓ cup / 50g brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1½ tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)

2 tablespoons water

Pinch of salt

Topping:

¾ cup / 95g plain white flour (gluten-free or standard)

⅓ cup / 50g brown sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

¼ cup / 50g vegan margarine*

(*I recently discovered that most vegan margarines use palm oil, which alhough are technically vegan, the fact that its production means massive rainforest destruction, driving orangutan populations to the brink of extinction, makes it a cruel and harmful product. Therefore, I would suggest using caution when choosing a brand. I have not yet done enough research to know whether there is such a thing as 'sustainable palm oil', but I have found Biona brand which says their palm oil comes from a sustainable project in Colombia).

1. Preheat the oven to 215 Celsius. Arrange four ramekin-style pots, approx 6.5cm deep and 8 to 9cm diameter, on a baking sheet.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together just the dry ingredients for the crumble topping and leave aside.

3. Take a saucepan and put the chopped apple, sugar, water, and salt in it. Bring to a low, bubbling simmer on a medium-high heat, and cook for about 5 minutes until the sugar and water mixture has thickened (though you don't want it to disappear entirely).

4. Add the ginger and lemon juice, stir well and then remove from the heat. Now stir in the cornflour and mix well, and add the blackberries. Mix and set aside.

5. Now prepare the topping. Melt the vegan margarine so it has just melted (not so it is hot), then slowly drizzle into the dry flour mix. Use a metal spoon to mix quickly while you pour in, to ensure the mixture forms a crumbly appearance. Continue to break up the mixture into crumbs with the spoon once all the margarine has been added. Leave aside.

6. Divide the blackberry and apple mixture with a spoon into each of the pots, trying to keep the amounts of fruit evenly distributed in each pot. Once they are filled (there should be a gap of about an inch if you have used pots a similar size to mine), then divide and sprinkle the crumb mixture onto each pot.

7. Place the pots on their baking tray into the oven, and bake on the high setting for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 190 degrees and leave the crumbles to bake for about another 15-20 minutes – until the topping has browned and some of the filling is nicely bubbling around the sides.

8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly for about 10 minutes (so you don't burn your mouth when eating!), then serve with a dollop of vegan ice-cream, or some vegan custard.

Comments

[Adriana]

Just the recipe I needed to make the most of blackberries before they're gone. Sadly this year wasn't all that good for bbs, last year in June they were all over the place, ripe and plump, while this year they ripened in August and by the look of it most of the green ones won't turn into juicy bbs:( So I better enjoy them while they last, right?:)

I totally relate to the story, I've been eating lots of bbs while walking my dogs in the area and also picked some for home to make raw ice cream (and bagged them the same way;) ). £2 for a handful of bbs is such a rip-off. With so many bb bushes around here there's really no point in buying. And the scratches heal very fast;)

I'm going to pick some apples and bbs and make this crumble, it would also be my first homemade:) I love the idea of a gluten-free version, I think I'll use ground almonds, I like them with fruit. I'll let you know how this goes. Thank you Andrea for sharing the recipe.

PS I love your ramekins:)

[Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond]

Ahhh the scratches Adriana! I do have a few myself too! But there is a great satisfaction from being able to go out and pick 'nature's bounty', isn't there? Though I doubt nature ever intended us to collect her gifts in dog poop bags heheh.

There is nowhere I can pick apples so I have to make do with Aldi on that score :) but I would love to try the raw ice-cream idea. Do you have a recipe on your blog or do you just freeze the banana and then whizz it all up in the blender?

[Adriana]

Hahaha well if it's clean, why not?:)) I transfer them to a box when I get home anyway. For the ice cream, I'll post it on the blog soon, but here's how I make it: just peel and break bananas into 4-5 pieces (I don't chop them), freeze them overnight. Freeze bbs as well. I use almost 1 small blender container for each, that way the bbs dominate the taste and bananas remain as the creamy base. Remove them from freezer 10-15 mins before, then blend them separately, the bbs into fine crumbs, and bananas until smooth and creamy. Add bbs to banana paste and blend for a few seconds till smooth. Eat straight away or place in an airtight container and freeze for later.

[Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond]

Mmm - am eating blackberries and banana raw ice-cream right now for breakfast! Thanks Adriana - it's very nice!

[Adriana]

This is hands down THE BEST fruit dessert I've had this year. Everything about it just screams SENSATIONAL. It was way beyond anything I had expected from such a simple combination. First, the visual - the most amazing tones of pink, red and purple. Then the extra crunchy topping is to die for. And finally, the magic! A gorgeous mix of tastes and textures. I was a bit worried that ginger would be too obvious in the end, but no, it cut right through the sweetness and enhanced the taste of the fruit. I thoroughly enjoy trying out your recipes and this one is now a major favourite! Many thanks Andrea for this splendid crumble recipe.

[Adriana]

PS Nothing beats the taste of freshly picked fruit, so if anyone who wants to try this recipe is able to pick some blackberries and apples, I strongly recommend it. Every scratch on my arms was well worth it:)

[Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond]

Adriana lovely to hear how well this worked out for you and that you enjoyed it so much! The ginger in it is subtle but delicious I think, and I'm glad that you thought it was right in the recipe too. Thank you so much for coming back and commenting :)

[Natalie Marilyn]

I have made crumble many times but this recipe made the best crumble. It is beyond deelish and I will be making it agaim very soon! Nommmmmmm

[Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond]

Glad you enjoyed it Natalie! Thank you for commenting too :)

[Adriana]

Andrea, I made the crumble today with cherries instead of blackberries, what a treat that was! No matter how much topping I add to my bowl, it never seems to be enough:) I think I'm going to try more versions this summer, but I wouldn't dream of leaving ginger out. It really takes the pudding to a whole new level of delight. I was so happy I got away unharmed (without the scratches), until I took the last crumble out of the oven and managed to burn my finger:)) Oh well, small price to pay for indulging in this scrumptious dessert;)

[Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond]

I need to try this cherry version too Adriana! Sounds fab! I am going to experiment with other versions, too, and now is the time to try rhubarb with the ginger! Though I don't like to think of you getting injured - take care with hot ovens, Adriana! ;-) ;-)