Gooseberry Crumble

When it comes to the crunch, nothing gives more comfort nor more satisfaction than eating a crumble made from fresh local fruit. Whether that's with gooseberries from the garden, or the newly harvested apples that are in the shops now, the humble crumble offers delicious rewards for a tiny fraction of one's time. I cooked this gooseberry crumble with our sharply sweet home grown pink gooseberries, but the recipe would work as well with tangy apples this autumn, you'll just need to stew the apples in a little water or apple juice before adding the crumble topping. You can add oats or nuts to the topping if you like, but I prefer to keep it simple.

 

 

 

Recipe

 

Adapted from Nigel Slater's one in Real Cooking, buy the book from Amazon here.

 Serves 6-8

  

75g caster sugar (or more or less to taste, depending on the sharpness of the fruit)

approx. 800-900g gooseberries

170g plain flour

170g unsalted butter, cold and chopped into small pieces

170g light muscovado sugar

 

 

1. Place the berries in an oven proof dish and sprinkle with the caster sugar. Leave for half an hour.

 

2. Turn the oven to 200C (180C fan).

  

3. To make the crumble topping, rub together the flour and cold butter using your hands until it resembles breadcrumbs.

 

4. Gently stir in the muscovado sugar.   

5. Spoon the crumble topping over the fruit, and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown on top, the beautiful juice oozing out of the sides of the topping.

6. Serve warm, with cream.

 

 

 

 

This crumble was idly baked while listening to Bach's Cello Suites

 

 

Summer Berry Clafoutis

Clafoutis is one of those brilliant puddings that fulfill all the idle baker's criteria, being remarkably quick and easy to make, very beautiful, and totally delicious. The batter and fruit idea comes from France, where they traditionally use cherries, but nowadays people are baking clafoutis using any soft fruit that's available.

Here I've made it following the dictats of Stephane Reynaud's brilliant tome Ripailles, to use up our garden berries: ripe gooseberries, raspberries and blackcurrants. The slight bitterness of the berries works well adding bite to the sugary batter, but you can equally try this with sweeter fruit such as peaches or nectarines if you'd like a milder flavour. Whatever fruit you use, baking this clafoutis in the oven will cause the kitchen to smell incredible, and the pudding to taste of summer. Second helpings all round.

Recipe
Serves 4-6 depending how greedy you are

Adapted from the recipe in Ripailles by Stephane Reynaud. Buy the book on Amazon

450g/500g berries - I used gooseberries, raspberries and blackcurrants
125g plain flour
50g caster sugar
250ml milk
2 large eggs
1 tbsp icing sugar or caster sugar, to dust
1. Turn the oven to 180C (160C fan oven). Butter an ovenproof dish.

2. Wash any shop bought fruit, and top and tail any with stems.

2. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl, and add the first egg, stirring well. Next add the second egg and beat until combined.

3. Stir in the caster sugar, and then add the milk. Mix well until the batter is smooth and liquid.

4. Place the prepared fruit in the ovenproof dish. Bake in the oven for approx 25 minutes, until the batter looks bounces back under your finger and the edges are golden brown.

5. Take out of the oven, and sieve the sugar over the top.

6. Leave the clafoutis to cool a bit. It can be served either warm or at room temperature.

This clafoutis was idly baked while laughing at BBC Radio 4's programme I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue