Recipe : Apple Crumble

​Apple crumble
 
The Topping
 
Using plain flour means you need sugar. Avoid them both.
 
Instead use rolled oats as the basis.
Add a tablespoon of cornflour or semolina. ?baking powder
Could add a bit of polenta for a different flavour.
Add margarine or a vegetable oil to hold the oats together.
 
Mix all the topping ingredients together with your fingers. The crumble mixture should be dry and crumbly: Like bread crumbs.
 
Additional extras for the topping:
 
Ground ginger
Cinnamon
Star of anise
Nutmeg
Cloves
Allspice
Grated orange rind
Desiccated coconut
Wheat germ
Pepitas
Sunflower seeds
Unsalted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachio, pecans)
 
 
The base
 
The base consists of fruit either alone or in combination.
 
Apple
Rhubarb
Peach
Pear
Plumb
Apricot
Quince
English gooseberry
Cape gooseberry
Blackberry
Raspberry
Mulberry
Feijoa
Guava
Pineapple
Mango
Loquat
 
 
To be used in combination with other fruits
Figs
Dried fruit soaked in liqueur
Red or black currants
Grapes
Cherries
Lychee
Passionfruit
 
 
 
Place the fruit in a bowl. 

You would not normally need to add water but if the fruit is dry a little bit of water would be beneficial.  A spoonful of cornflour would help if the fruit is watery. Cover the fruit loosely with topping. You shouldn’t need to grease the bowl but you can if you are worried.
 
 
Cooking time
 
Will depend on fruit used and size of dish. If the fruit needs cooking (i.e. apples) bake at 180°C or 40 minutes. If the fruit only needs heating only (i.e. berries) then bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
If making individual crumbles then cook for about15/20 minutes at 180°C.
 
Serve with a milk product: cream, custard, yoghurt or ice-cream.