Blackberry, Apple and Sweet Geranium Crumble

Food: Darina Allen

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Serves 6-8

Crumbles are comfort food; vary the fruit according to the season.

1½ lbs (675g) Bramley Seedling cooking apples
4oz (110g) blackberries
1½-2 ozs (45-50g) sugar
1-2 tbsp water
2 chopped sweet geranium leaves (pelargonium graveolens)

Crumble

4 ozs (110g) white flour, preferably unbleached
2 ozs (50g) cold butter
2 ozs (50g) caster sugar
1 oz (25g) chopped almonds or hazelnuts (optional)
½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
2 pint (1.1L) capacity pie dish

Peel the apples, cut into quarters, remove the core and cut into large cubes.

Turn into a pie dish, scatter the blackberries and chopped sweet geranium leaves over the top. Sprinkle with sugar.

Rub the butter into the flour just until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs, add the sugar and cinnamon and chopped nuts if using. Sprinkle this mixture over the apple in the pie dish. Bake in a preheated moderate oven 180C/350F/regulo 4, for 30-45 minutes or until the topping is cooked and golden. Serve with whipped cream and soft brown sugar.

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, September 10, 2011