Every year, Mimkin Hollow welcomes the autumnal season with a harvest feast. The whole village comes along and everyone’s favourite part of the evening is tasting the surprise seasonal pudding from Puddifoot’s Bakery. Speculation over what Eleanor will make is always the talk of the town in the run up to the big day.
A tradition that has continued for generations, older Mimkins still reminisce about her granddad Tremlyn Puddifoot’s plum tart with earthnut, or the infamous year the crumble accidentally fermented (which made for a very merry party).
For this year’s feast, Eleanor kept things simple and baked a classic apple and blackberry crumble. Everyone in Mimkin Hollow thought it was delicious and we’re sure you will too!
Eleanor Puddifoot’s Apple and Blackberry Crumble
Topping
- 150g plain flour
- 50g rolled oats
- 75g demerara sugar
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 100g cold unsalted butter, cubed
Fruit
- 600g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
- 20g unsalted butter
- 60g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 fresh bay leaf (or 2 dried)
- 100g blackberries
Method
- Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Use a wide, shallow baking dish, around 20 x 30cm.
- Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like rough breadcrumbs, with some larger pieces of butter still visible. Stir in the oats, demerara sugar and salt.
- Melt the butter in a wide pan and add the bay leaf. Let it sizzle gently for a minute until you can smell a light woody fragrance. Add the apples, the caster sugar and the lemon juice. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring, until the apples just start to soften and most of the liquid has cooked off. If your apples release too much liquid, add a teaspoon of cornflour to thicken it up.
- Take the pan off the heat and remove the bay leaf. Gently fold through the blackberries, keeping them whole. Spread the fruit evenly in the dish.
- Scatter the topping loosely over the fruit without pressing it down. Bake for 40 minutes, until deep golden and bubbling at the edges.
- Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
