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foragers crumble

16 September 2021 by Dominic Franks

apple crumble

I love this foragers crumble. It’s inspired by this wonderful autumnal abundance in the hedgerows. Whilst the weather now has turned, last weekend was rather lovely.  We managed to get back home and the weather treated us well.  We managed a spectacular walk through Swaby Valley which is as close to bucolic paradise as is possible.  The Viking had also discovered an apple tree hidden in a hedge that was laden with over-ripening fruit so he suggested we take a walk, take some apples and find anything else we could to add to a foragers crumble.  The bounty was fine.

foraging

The incredible hot weather earlier in the season most have set something aflame as the bramble, or blackberry bushes, were swelling with sweet and juicy fruit. I also remembered a plum tree that overhangs the road en-route that delivered in bundles and we were lucky enough to have beaten the wasps to the hoard, which is rare these days.  It’s always so satisfying to bake with stuff you’ve found in the field and when it all tastes this good it makes you happy for those small moments…

apple crumble

apple crumble

foragers crumble

So we’ve got the apples.  I have no idea what variety they are but in their uncooked state they’re very tart but once cooked they stay firm but yield a soft sweet texture similar to a bramley.  We’ve also got blackberries.  We always called them brambles and I remember that mum had a thorny bush in her back garden growing over an old air-raid shelter that’s now sadly been pulled down.  I think she’s lost the bramble bush but I haven’t lost my memories of her incredible apple and bramble pie.

the best combination of fruits

Such an incredible combination of fruits… tart and sweet and devilishly blood red… and of course we have plums.  They are Victoria Plums, the dark purple variety and my favourite.  They’re the type of plum that tastes of plum, if you get what I mean.  I’ve kept it all very simple with just a dash of cinnamon and vanilla bean paste but the crumble is really rather special with porridge oats, ground almonds and some little ameretti biscuits crumble in, that I found at the back of the cupboard.

apple crumble

I apologise for the lack of weights and measures for the filling but it really shouldn’t make a huge amount of difference what or how much goes in…

for the filling

  • 5 medium apples – peeled, cored and rough chopped
  • 7 small plums – stoned and halved
  • 2 large handfulls of blackberries
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

for the crumble topping

  • 150g plain flour
  • 50g porridge oats
  • Fifty grams ground almonds
  • 50g ameretti biscuits – roughly crumbled
  • 200g butter
  • 150g brown sugar

rinse all the fruit thoroughly in cold water and let the plums and berries sit in the water for 5 mins, then drain well and place all the fruit, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar into a large pan and gently heat for 15 minutes until the apples soften slightly – the berries will turn to mush but the apples and plums should still have their shape – pour into a large oven-proof dish and set aside

to make the crumble, place all the ingredients into a bowl and rub together with you fingers until you have a thick, crumbly consistency – then spoon the crumble onto the fruit and press down well

bake on 180C for 30 mins until the topping begins to turn golden brown and the juices of the fruit ooze through the sides

serve with cold cream or warm custard

apple crumble

apple crumble

for more classic pudding recipes follow this link on Dom in the Kitchen

eat and of course, enjoy!

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Filed Under: Cakes Tagged With: apples, blackberries, brambles, crumble, dessert, fruit, plums, pudding

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Comments

  1. Nelly Ritchie says

    7 August 2017 at 11:18 am

    I have been craving crumble ever since I saw this on your IG Stories, my waistline is very cross with you, but my goodness this looks heavenly.

    • Dominic Franks says

      9 August 2017 at 10:10 am

      oooh, Im so sorry! It was exceptionally good!

  2. Galina V says

    7 August 2017 at 11:54 am

    What a delightful crumble! Foraging for berries and fruit is always great fun. Blackberries freeze well too, if you have any spare. Love the addition of amaretti to the crumble top, what a fab idea.

    • Dominic Franks says

      9 August 2017 at 10:11 am

      Thanks G… they do freeze well, I always forget that!

  3. Denise Tyrrell says

    7 August 2017 at 11:27 pm

    Delicious. I love a bit of foraging. I remember as a child we would go somewhere in Wanstead blackberry picking. And then in my teenage years we would go up Hainault Forest or out the back of Abridge somewhere and pick blackberries. They make such lovely pies or summer puddings, but crumble is my all time fav.

    • Dominic Franks says

      9 August 2017 at 10:12 am

      Oh yes, I have memories of Hainault Forest too! My grandma lived not far from there! x

  4. Jean says

    9 August 2017 at 5:26 pm

    Mixed fruit crumbles are my absolute favourite and taste even better if the fruit is foraged.
    I never thought of putting amaretti biscuits in the crumble topping, brilliant idea. And you’re right about Victoria plums. They are the only plum that really tastes of plums, most of the supermarket ones tasting of very little at all. I really miss the Victoria plum tree that we had at our previous house.

  5. Khloe says

    10 August 2017 at 5:54 pm

    Yum! I cannot wait to try this recipe out, thanks for the share. Love checking out your blog, keep up the posts! Susan

  6. Kate - gluten free alchemist says

    10 August 2017 at 6:06 pm

    Sometimes life just gets in the way of all the things we want to be doing!
    I do love this time of year with free food in the hedgerows though. Although the blackberries and apples do seem a little early this year….
    Crumble is just perfect for the crappy weather we are having though! x

  7. Choclette says

    12 August 2017 at 9:34 am

    Oh Dom, I do feel for you not being able to enjoy your kitchen and the poor Viking missing his garden. But as you say, busy isn’t always bad. I’ve been terribly remiss at not visiting your blog in my usual fashion. things here are even more hectic than usual. We’ve made the rather difficult decision to move up to Hampshire, so there’s much to organise. It means I will at last have a decent garden – hooray!

    Cooking with foraged food is so satisfying and your crumble sounds divine. I want some – quite badly!

    • Dominic Franks says

      14 August 2017 at 9:00 am

      Hey C… lovely to hear from you! The move sounds exciting. Crazy busy times eh?

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About Dom In The Kitchen

My name is Dominic, I am a cook, food writer and creative event producer. I write the food blog Dom In The Kitchen and also write a monthly recipe column for Lincolnshire Life Magazine and Good Taste Magazine. I also run creative event production company The Persuaders, producing global events for brands since 1997. I am based both in the small village of Belleau in Lincolnshire and the smaller village of London! Read More…

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