Top five crumble recipes

by Charlotte Morgan | 18 October 2012 | 0 comments

Stews, hotpots and soups are the best winter mains, but there's only one perfect pudding for a chilly night in: crumble.

Apricot crumble

Chef Diana Henry plumps for apricots in her crumble (pictured above): “This is the quintessential British never-fails-to-please pudding. It’s also sensible, by which I mean that it isn’t expensive and it is a great vehicle for celebrating gluts of fruits.” Serve with craime fraiche or whipped cream.

Apple and blackberry

crumble The original and best: apples and blackberries, swirled with sultanas, cinnamon and sugar, roasted until sweet and caramelised, layered in the bottom of a big ceramic dish, and topped with an oaty crumble dotted with Demerara sugar. All that’s missing is the cream (or custard).

Berry crumble cheesecake

crumble What to have for pudding… cheesecake or crumble? Tell you what, let’s combine the two super puds to make a berry crumble cheesecake, made from creamy goat's cheese, soft cheese, soured cream, galettes, crunchy granola, orange, blackberries, and a hearty helping of strawberry jam.

Tea custard crumble

crumble Another unusual take on a crumble, this time using a crumble mix to top a rich caramel dessert, made from whipping cream, milk, sugar, tea and egg yolks. Here a little custard powder is added to the crumble topping for colour and sweetness. You can easily change the flavour of your pud by changing the tea bag.

Apricot and almond

crumble Fantastic with fresh apricots, this is almost as good made with a couple of cans of apricots instead. Unlike Diana Henry, The Hairy Bikers complete their crumble topping with flaked almonds and grated marzipan to give it an extra something, then suggest serving in individual dishes.