This weekend we went blackberry picking, or, as Harry would have it, ‘hunting and catching black strawberries’. Whereas strawberries are quite robust and able to resist the pincer-like grip of a two-year old, blackberries were something of a revelation to H, given their tendency to explode into purple mush at first grasp. Our journey along the hedgerow was thus peppered by startled exclamations & chortling from Harry and much wiping of blackberry juice from eyes, hair, clothing and the occasional unfortunate passerby. Our exertions left us suddenly hungry, causing us to eat almost all of our spoils – so we had to start again. I now understand why supermarket blackberries cost so much; it can take hours to fill a bucket..
We added an apronful of windfall apples from the garden and some homemade lavender sugar to make these individual crumbles, which seemed to disappear in the blink of an eye, though doubtless will reappear on my waistline shortly. I made up this recipe, I must confess, so feel free to adapt and experiment; we love a dash of ginger and cinnamon so you’ll see both here… and whilst purists use brown sugar in the compote, we prefer our white lavender sugar for a taste of sunshine. My quantities make 4 individual crumbles, so just flex your quantities, keeping the ratios, for the size you need.
For the fruit compote:
- 5 eating apples, or 2 cooking apples
- 2 cupfuls of blackberries
- 3 tablespoons of sugar (halve this if using eating apples, which are much sweeter and less tart). I used lavender sugar, made a few months before by stirring dried lavender sprigs into a jar of sugar and sealing tight; this gives a lovely hint of flavour and aroma to the sugar which is enhanced by cooking.
- pinch of cinnamon
Peel, core and chop the apples into bite-sized chunks, and soften on the hob with a spoonful of water and the sugar. Set the oven to 180c/350f to come to temperature whilst you prepare the crumble. After 5-10 minutes the kitchen will fill with the delicious smell of caramelising apple; take the pan off the hob and stir in the berries and cinnamon. Spoon into individual ovenproof bowls or a single dish.
For the crumble topping
- 200g / 7oz plain flour
- 100g / 3.5oz soft brown sugar
- 100g / 3.5oz butter, at room temperature
- pinch of ginger (optional)
- handful of flaked almonds or chopped nuts
Stir together the dry ingredients and then add the butter, crumbling together with your fingers till you have a lumpy, sandy consistency; don’t work it in completely as you don’t want the top to be too fine and smooth. Spoon this mixture over the fruit and sprinkle with the nuts, if using.
Finally pop in the oven for around 20 minutes; they’re done when the top browns slightly and the filling begins to bubble. Use this time constructively to decide whether you are going to accompany these with custard (the traditional British favourite), whipped cream, ice cream or – heart health be damned – all three. When cooled slightly, pile these beauties onto a tray and find a nice tree in the garden under which to eat them, because food really does taste better outdoors, especially after all that hard work in the hedgerows…
Wonderful! I love crubmles! I just made a sorbet for my blog using apples from my apple tree and blackberries from a bush at the top of my garden… they are a match made in heaven!
I had a peek and it looks divine! Worth making for the gorgeous colour alone. And definitely a virtuous alternative to the rather more wicked crumble…
Love the fact that fireman Sam needed to join in the picnic……
Ps we’ve just been making blackberry and apple charlottes – like my lovely mummy used to make, lots of white bread, butter and fruit……bliss. Requires a 5 mile run to balance the scales!
Oooh, charlottes, now that’s a blast from the past – I remember my mum making those too! I feel a recipe swap coming on please…
First of all, your write divinely. This dessert sounds delicious. Is hob another word for stove top or burner, or is that part of an English stove? Thanks for your posts, they are a mini-retreat for me. Claire
So lovely of you Claire, thank you
And yes you’re absolutely right, a hob is a stove top. Thank you for asking; I never know which words are uniquely ‘British’ until someone queries them, so now I will know for future!
I can not wait to try this recipe. It sounds so yummy, my mouth is already watering! We live in the Seattle, WA USA area and love picking blackberries and am ready for a new recipe – so thank you!
I love the idea of lavender infused sugar too. Going to my garden right now to pick some and add to my sugar container!
I am in love with your sign on the fabric too – can you tell us how you did that? It looks like you printed on the fabric itself? Would love to try this for some labels…
Keep the posts coming – I am in love with your blog site and your amazing pictures – of course little Harry is so adorable – how can you not take a good picture of him!!
Thanks Bryn for the truly heartwarming feedback
I love Seattle; our former neighbours moved there a few years ago and I had the pleasure of visiting in the Summertime after they arrived; it struck me as the most serenely beautiful place to live…
As for the sign, alas that’s a graphic touch only on this occasion rather than a ‘real’ one; I scanned a square of hessian and then added text, before collaging them electronically (that sounds far more technically accomplished than in reality, I can assure you..). I do love printing directly to fabric though and plan to dabble a bit more with this in the coming weeks so will post the results in due course!
Thanks again for taking the time to say ‘hello’!
looks truly scrummy mmm
I absolutely love Harry’s description of catching black strawberries, that is sooo cute bless him! Beautiful photos and super pretty crumble, love the addition of lavender. Kate
Looks delish…and what a precious child!
These look delicious! I agree that lavender tastes like sunshine. I bought some homemade lavender biscuits from a market a few weeks ago, and they were lovely. Your photos are beautiful, especially the one of Harry tucking in! X
Wonderful! You are so a talented baker! =)
miam miam !!! looks delicious ! Tell me, is it hard to make lavender sugar ? (i hope i’m not mistaken : for me, lavender is a purple flower. Isn’ t it ?)
Audrey
Hi Audrey, yes that’s right – you’re thinking of lavender. The sugar is very simple to make, and delicious to bake with; just take a few sprigs of lavender and ease the little flower buds off, and stir them into a bowl of sugar. Pour into a jar and seal tight to allow the sugar to take on the aroma and subtle taste of lavender – it lasts for ages and doesn’t need to be stored in any special way. Enjoy…
Thanks for posting the recipe, it looks fab! I was wondering where you got those lovely bowls you baked the crumble in? Thanks again!
Hi Liza
The bowls are actually ‘dipping bowls’ bought from British store John Lewis (link below); they’re gorgeous aren’t they? And although intended for dips etc, when filled right up they’re a perfect ‘portion size’ for desserts. JL ship worldwide but I’m sure there are great alternatives more locally once you know the kind of thing you’re looking for.
http://www.johnlewis.com/231363005/Product.aspx