Crumbles are a distinctly British dessert and can be made with all manner of fruits for a sweet treat. Rhubarb, apple and peach are among the favourites around the world, growing in popularity since the dessert was established during World War 2.
The crumble topping was an economical way to enjoy pies without pastry – with the ingredients of pastry hard to come by during the period of rationing.
So, flour, fat and sugar are rubbed together to form the crunchy and delicious topping we know today.
Crumbles can also be enjoyed as a savoury dish, removing sugar from the topping and adding in cheese, and using mince, other meats and vegetables for the filling.
Many of us have taken to baking during lockdown, spending time creating sweet and savoury treats.
Read More: How to make honeycomb – recipe
Heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.
To make the topping, rub 140g self-raising flour and 85g chilled butter together with your fingers until you have a soft, crumbly topping.
Now add 50g light brown muscovado sugar and 50g chopped walnuts, if using. Mix together with your hands.
Scatter the topping over the rhubarb and bake for 30 mins or until golden brown on top.
Serve piping hot with a big jug of thick vanilla custard.
If you want to make your own custard, here’s how
Vanilla Custard recipe
Ingredients
- 1l milk
- 8 egg yolks
- 140g vanilla sugar
- 3 tbsp cornflour
- 3 tbsp plain flour
Method
Heat the milk in the saucepan until it comes just up to the boil, then take off the heat immediately.
In a bowl, beat together the egg yolks, vanilla sugar and flours. Pour the milk slowly over the egg mix, beating well.
Return the mixture to the pan and place over a low heat, stirring for eight to 10 mins until the mixture begins to thicken.