Blueberry Crumble
This recipe comes from the Good Housekeeping Complete Book of Desserts, published in 1990. I absolutely love an old recipe book; there are such gems in there. Things that perhaps have fallen out of favour. Take this one - a simple blueberry crumble recipe.
You can swap the berry quantity for anything you happen to have, single fruit or a mixture. Its an excellent option for USU - Using Stuff Up. Wrinkly fruit, scrap ends, bumper seasonal crop, fruit on yellow sticker - the only thing you may want to do is also swap the spice for another more complimentary to your fruit choice.
What I would urge, is trying a single fruit crumble. What I learnt discovering this recipe was that using the delicate-tasting blueberries on their own really means you can taste them without them being overpowered by a more robust flavor such as apple, raspberry or rhubarb.
A note on my stance for storing crumble. Some people happily store a leftover baked crumble in the fridge, and enjoy it chilled over the next few days, stealing a spoonful each time they open the fridge……..I am not one of these people. I prefer my crumble fresh and warm, and purposefully designed this recipe as a small portion for two as an option to do just that.
PORTION SIZE
My estimates are based on a portion of about 120g per person. This recipe will make 2 portions.
TOOLS
Other than the typical kitchen equipment, you will need:
a small ovenproof dish, about 110cm diameter, 4-5cm deep
INGREDIENTS
Filling
100g blueberries
1 tbsp soft brown or Light Muscovado sugar
1/2 tbsp plain flour
juice of 1/2 lime
Crumble
35g salted butter
35g flour (wholemeal, spelt, rye, or plain, or any mix)
35g soft brown or Light Muscovado sugar
20g porridge oast
20g walnuts (pecans work fine if this is what you have)
freshly grated nutmeg
To serve
It doesn’t need anything but yoghurt, creme fraiche or custard all go equally well with it
METHOD
Prep oven - Preheat the oven to 170°C fan, 190°C regular.
Mix berries - Weigh the berries, sugar, flour and lime juice directly into a small overproof dish; mix thoroughly.
Mix crumble & assemble - Weigh the crumble ingredients into a blender or food processer. Pulse to blitz into a sandy crumb. Spread the crumble on the top of the berries and lightly press down.
NOTE! If you are getting ahead, you can store the assembled crumble in the fridge at this point, for about 24 hours give or take, and bake when you are ready. A handy option to prep in the morning, and then you only need to bake in the evening for dessert.
Bake - Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes. The top should be gently bronzed once ready.
Cool & Finish with extras - Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes, otherwise it will be too hot to eat and enjoy. Serve! Adding cooling dairy is an optional extra.
STORAGE
I don’t personally find baked crumble keeps, but equally, it isn’t really a very fussy dish and leftovers can easily be reheated (covered with foil, to prevent further browning of the crumble), or stored in the fridge to eat chilled.
To freeze before baking, wrap in foil and store the whole thing, dish and all, in the freezer.