Plate Expectations: Crunchy nut apple crumble

I believe you can never have too many apple crumble recipes, and this one is completely different to my other creations – it is a family favourite to make time and time again.

It is made with a gooey filling of blackberries and apple, hence the ‘black apple’ title, topped with chopped marzipan and a crunchy coating of an almond crumble.

METHOD

1.  Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas mark 6.
2. Place the apples in a large ovenware dish (1.6 litre).
3. Squeeze over the lemon juice, then gently stir in the blackberries, sugar and spices.
4. Chop up the marzipan and dot it evenly over the fruit.
5. For the crumble, rub the butter in the flour and oats to make a coarse crumbly mixture.
6. Stir in the sugar, almonds and lemon zest.
7. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the fruit and marzipan.
8. Place the dish on a baking tray and bake for about 45 minutes
   or until the topping is golden and fruit is juicy and tender.
   Serve with custard or ice cream.

Base ingredients:

• 6 large Granny Smith apples – peeled,
• cored and thickly sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 300g blackberries
• 50g demerara sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 100g marzipan

Crumble Topping:

• 150g butter/ non-dairy margarine – cut into cubes
• 200g plain flour
• 200g oats
• 50g demerara sugar
• 100g skin-on almonds – roughly chopped
• Zest of 2 lemons

Preparation time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 40-45 mins

Serves: 10 people