Apple and Rhubarb Crumble

Name: Apple and Rhubarb Crumble
Ingredients: 2-3 apples*. I use any ordinary eating apples that I have. You can use cooking apples.; 4-6 sticks rhubarb stems*; *Chopped apples and rhubarbs should be roughly equal in volume.; 2 tablespoons light brown or white sugar, adjust to taste depending upon the sweetness of apples and rhubarb; <b>For making crumble (or use one 250 gm packet of crumble mix) </b>; 300-350 gm. plain white flour or maida; 125 gm. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature; 3-4 tbsp. light brown sugar, adjust to taste.; <b>To serve </b>; <a href="/recipe_display.php?id=13733">Custard</a> or Vanilla ice-cream or double (heavy) cream

Mamta Gupta

Dessert Easy Sweet Vegetarian

Rhubarb is something that I was not familiar with when I was growing up in India. I discovered it when I moved to UK in the late 60s. I used to work as a junior doctor in hospitals around London, where it was sometimes served stewed on its own or as a pie filling, with warm custard or a slice of vanilla ice-cream brick. I fell in love with it. I usually make it as a crumble now, not a pie. The crumble itself is easy to make, but you can buy it ready-made crumble mix in packets, making this dish very, very easy and quick.

Makes 1 large crumble enough for 6-8 people or 6-8 individual ramekins.

Ingredients

2-3 apples*. I use any ordinary eating apples that I have. You can use cooking apples.
4-6 sticks rhubarb stems*
*Chopped apples and rhubarbs should be roughly equal in volume.
2 tablespoons light brown or white sugar, adjust to taste depending upon the sweetness of apples and rhubarb
For making crumble (or use one 250 gm packet of crumble mix)
300-350 gm. plain white flour or maida
125 gm. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
3-4 tbsp. light brown sugar, adjust to taste.
To serve
Custard or Vanilla ice-cream or double (heavy) cream

Instructions

Core and chop apples into 1-2 inch pieces.
Remove any damaged or tough end from rhubarb and cop into 1 inch pieces
Add cinnamon powder and stir it in.
Cook covered in a pan with 2-3 tbsp. water , until softened but not mashed
Add sugar to taste and stir it in.
Spread the fruit mix out in a pie dish. I often make it in individual ramekin dishes these days.
Turn the oven on to 375°F/180°C (10°C less in fan oven) or Gas mark 4-5.
Making the crumble mix
Place flour and butter in a bowl and rub with your fingers, until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. Alternatively, you can mix these in a food processor by pulsating a few times, until the mix looks like crumbs.
Getting crumble ready to cook
Cover the fruit in each ramekin evenly and lightly, with a portion of crumble mix. Do not press it down.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the topping looks golden brown and a few bubbles of fruit juice are seen rising through the crumble in a few places.
Serve hot with fresh custard or double cream or vanilla ice-cream.

Notes

For making a pie instead of a crumble, you can cover it with short crust or puff pastry, in place of crumble and then bake it as usual.