Making a crumble doesn’t have to involve a long list of expensive ingredients.
Jamie Oliver’s recipe avoids this completely by using up frozen berries and eating apples rather than the cooking kind.
Sharing the pudding from his book Jamie’s £1 Wonders, the chef said: “Beautifully soft berries, sweet apples and a buttery oat topping, this recipe is proof that you don’t need fresh fruit to make a cracking crumble.
“I’m keeping costs down by swapping in frozen mixed berries and granulated sugar (which is around half the price of caster sugar right now!).
“If you’ve got any apples lying around that are past their best, this recipe is also great for bringing them back to life.”
Method
This crumble needs a nice hot oven to turn golden, so start by preheating it to 200C/400F/gas 6.
Tip the frozen berries into a large bowl, and place in the microwave on high (800W) for 10 minutes until defrosted, or leave to defrost in the fridge overnight.
Once defrosted, drain and reserve the excess juice in a bowl. Jamie said: “Transform the berry juice into a lovely syrup or cordial. Simply add two teaspoons of sugar and reduce in a saucepan on medium-low until the sugar has dissolved, stirring regularly.
“Decant into sterilised glass bottles and keep in a cool place for up to two months. Delicious drizzled over ice cream or yoghurt. Or, simply leave it as is and dilute it in water – it makes a cracking cordial.”
Meanwhile, roughly chop the apples into 1cm cubes (skin and all), then set aside for later.
Neatly cube the cold butter and place in a mixing bowl with the flour. Rub the two ingredients together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the oats and half of the sugar.
Tip the berries into a 30cm by 25cm baking dish, then stir in the chopped apple and remaining sugar, tossing until the apples are well coated.
Finally, sprinkle over the crumble topping, then bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until “beautifully golden” as put by Jamie.
Serve on its own or enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
