This post is well overdue for a man who has demonstrated a love for crumble that is unmatched by any other. Brian was a customer of mine when I worked at an unfortunate restaurant in Los Angeles. Everyone knows I have a bit of a short fuse, however one of the staff took the risk, approached me & said "someone outside was asking if you are going to make crumble today". I barged out in my usual graceful way to have a word and saw this man with a sincere smile on his face...
I may be a bit difficult, but I know when someone is a foodie and genuine. It took a few years to sift through the duds, Brian is the real deal.
So I told him I was happy to make him the crumble, the only catch was he would have to wait up to an hour. To my surprise, he was chuffed! He grabbed a seat, took out a book and waited...
As chefs we love to see people happy, enjoying what we produce. So after the way he had reacted I couldn't let Brian down. Despite the wait he had a great big smile on his face when I took the crumble over for him. From that day on whenever I made a batch I would make an individual one for him and keep it ready in case we ran out...
So this recipe is for you Brian
Ingredients
Crumble Topping
100 g cold butter cut into cubes
100 g sugar (demerara sugar is my favorite for this)
150 g flour
50 g ground almonds
Fruit compote
5 Granny Smith apples peeled & cubed
3 stalks of rhubarb chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 small punnet of blackberries & raspberries
1 vanilla pod split in 1/2
150-180g of sugar (again demerara is my pick for this)
Note: You may need to adjust the sugar based on acidity of the fruit
1/2 cup water
Method:
First make your crumble topping. Place all the components in a robot coupe (better known as a food processor) and pulse until you have the consistency of sand granuals which are a bit damp. Tip over the contents onto a lined baking sheet and lightly squeeze the mixture in your hands to the mixture together then break the apart again onto the tray so you have a variation of lumpy bits and finer crumble. Place in the fridge for 30 min before baking at 180 in the UK and 350 in the US. Remove from oven when you see it turn a lovely light golden colour.
Now on with the juicy fruit compote. Place all the ingredients above into a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil always stirring. As soon as you see the first bubble identifying you are at a boil reduce the heat to a low flame and keep an eye on the mixture. Keep stirring as the mixture will catch.
When the fruit has collapsed and completely stewed you are almost ready to serve. Make sure the mixture is not too claggy, it needs to have some moisture to it. So please taste at this point and adjust the sweetness if needed to your taste.
Place the crumble into a warmed baking dishes or individual ramekins. Top with the warm yummy crumble & serve with a lovely vanilla ice cream.
I rework this recipe with seasonal fruit such as cherries, plums, etc. It's all to your taste, have a play with the recipe and enjoy!
I may be a bit difficult, but I know when someone is a foodie and genuine. It took a few years to sift through the duds, Brian is the real deal.
So I told him I was happy to make him the crumble, the only catch was he would have to wait up to an hour. To my surprise, he was chuffed! He grabbed a seat, took out a book and waited...
As chefs we love to see people happy, enjoying what we produce. So after the way he had reacted I couldn't let Brian down. Despite the wait he had a great big smile on his face when I took the crumble over for him. From that day on whenever I made a batch I would make an individual one for him and keep it ready in case we ran out...
So this recipe is for you Brian
Ingredients
Crumble Topping
100 g cold butter cut into cubes
100 g sugar (demerara sugar is my favorite for this)
150 g flour
50 g ground almonds
Fruit compote
5 Granny Smith apples peeled & cubed
3 stalks of rhubarb chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 small punnet of blackberries & raspberries
1 vanilla pod split in 1/2
150-180g of sugar (again demerara is my pick for this)
Note: You may need to adjust the sugar based on acidity of the fruit
1/2 cup water
Method:
First make your crumble topping. Place all the components in a robot coupe (better known as a food processor) and pulse until you have the consistency of sand granuals which are a bit damp. Tip over the contents onto a lined baking sheet and lightly squeeze the mixture in your hands to the mixture together then break the apart again onto the tray so you have a variation of lumpy bits and finer crumble. Place in the fridge for 30 min before baking at 180 in the UK and 350 in the US. Remove from oven when you see it turn a lovely light golden colour.
Now on with the juicy fruit compote. Place all the ingredients above into a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil always stirring. As soon as you see the first bubble identifying you are at a boil reduce the heat to a low flame and keep an eye on the mixture. Keep stirring as the mixture will catch.
When the fruit has collapsed and completely stewed you are almost ready to serve. Make sure the mixture is not too claggy, it needs to have some moisture to it. So please taste at this point and adjust the sweetness if needed to your taste.
Place the crumble into a warmed baking dishes or individual ramekins. Top with the warm yummy crumble & serve with a lovely vanilla ice cream.
I rework this recipe with seasonal fruit such as cherries, plums, etc. It's all to your taste, have a play with the recipe and enjoy!
