Apple and Blackberry Flapjack Crumble with Custard (includes Thermomix method)

Now that autumn is here, apples and blackberries are plentiful and often free, if you know where to look!

And what better pudding to warm you up on a chilly evening and share with the family (or not!). Best of all, you can make plenty and freeze once assembled for a ready-to-cook dessert, or if you prefer freeze leftovers once you've cooked it.

If you're not a huge fan of blackberries, you can use another berry or fruit of your choice to the same weight, or simply add a couple of extra apples. I like to use a mixture of cooking apples (Bramley) and eating apples (Gala / Cox / Braeburn or similar) for contrasting textures and flavours. Really, you can substitute pretty much any autumn fruits you like - you don't have to use apples - just moderate the sugar to your taste, cover in crumble and bake until bubbling around the edges and golden on top!

Not so long ago, I had a crumble which had a custard layer between the fruit and the crumble - and I have to say it was a very pleasant experience, which I think stops the fruit from making the bottom of the crumble a big soggy lump - so I have included a method for making your own custard to do the same - you don't have to do this, you can just serve custard on the side - or, of course, you can cheat and buy a couple of cartons of good quality thick custard, and use those in instead! Either way, it's optional (but very nice, so I do recommend giving it a go!).

Makes two crumbles which serve six generous portions each, but you could easily half this to make just one (I make one to bake, and then split the rest between small containers to freeze in double portions). Sorry, but I just don't think this is one to count calories on, for a change!!

Ingredients
For the crumble

• 100g plain flour (gluten free flour works equally well)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 100g butter
• 80g light soft brown sugar
• 100g oats (if cooking gluten free, ensure they are GF oats)
• 50g almonds (either blanched or in skins)
• 2 tbsp golden syrup

For the filling

• 1kg cooking apples (e.g. Bramley) and 500g crisp eating apples (e.g. Cox's / Gala - about 5 each of cooking and eating)
• 100g golden caster sugar (or to taste)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 25g butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 650-700g blackberries (or berries of choice)
• 1 tbsp cornflour (ensure GF if necessary)

For the custard (optional)

• 1 litre (1,000g) milk
• 100g double / heavy cream (optional)
• 4-8 eggs (4 whole eggs for Thermomix, or 8 egg yolks for conventional)
• 140g golden caster sugar (or to taste)
• 1-2 tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract (to taste)
• 60g cornflour

Method
(See below for Thermomix Method)

1. Crumble: Mix flour, cinnamon and butter together either by rubbing in by hand, or by pulsing in a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add sugar, nuts (if doing by hand, chop roughly first) and oats, and mix in (by rubbing in again, or pulsing in the food processor). Drizzle with the golden syrup, then mix in very briefly with a fork (or pulse) until it clumps, and set aside.

Perfect apple slices!

2. Filling: Peel, core and quarter the cooking apples, slice just under 1/2cm thick (if you have a sturdy egg slicer, they're perfect for this - cheap ones are no good though as the wires stretch or snap!), and add to a large pan with the sugar, butter and cinnamon. Cook gently for about 10-12 minutes over a low heat, stirring occasionally to soften a little (if it starts to stick, add a splash of water). Once cooked, pour off any excess liquid into a separate jug, and set aside to cool a little.

3. Tip the cooked apples into a large bowl, then peel, core and slice the eating apples and add to the cooked apples with the lemon juice and toss together. Put the cornflour into a small dish or ramekin, and add a little of the reserved juices and stir into a thin paste (just use water if you have no juices). Once the lumps have gone, stir in the rest of the reserved juices, then add this mixture back to the apples with the blackberries and gently stir through. Divide the fruit mix between your dishes or containers.

4. Custard (if making): Feel free to use a couple of cartons of good, bought custard, because it's so easy to end up with scrambled eggs if you make it yourself and it gets too hot!! However, if you're confident about your custard making abilities, do this: Heat the milk, cream and half of the vanilla in a saucepan until hot but not boiling. Set aside, and whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour until combined. Keep whisking, and very gradually pour the hot milk in a steady stream into the egg mixture. You now need to add it back to the pan, and at this point you can pass it through a sieve into the pan if you wish to remove any potential impurities from the eggs. Put the heat back on, and keep stirring the custard until it thickens, which may take around ten minutes or more - as soon as it thickens immediately remove from the heat. Taste the custard once cooked, and add more of the vanilla extract / paste if required, to taste.

5. Pour the custard over the top of the fruit mix, if using, then scatter the crumble evenly over everything and if you wish to freeze, do so at this point, or cook each six-serving crumble at gas mark 4 / 180C / 160C fan oven for approximately 40-45 minutes until bubbling around the edges and golden on top (adjust timings as appropriate for your oven, and smaller portions - e.g. 25 minutes for a two person serving). You can check it's cooked all the way through by inserting a skewer in the middle and checking the fruit is tender and hot. Leave to stand for around ten minutes before serving.

*If halving the ingredients, cook the custard for 6 minutes only, and the apples for 6 minutes also.

Thermomix Method

1. Crumble: Mix flour, cinammon and butter together 5 seconds / Speed 5. Add sugar, nuts and oats, and mix 5 seconds / Speed 5. Drizzle with the golden syrup, then mix 2 seconds / Reverse / Speed 3. Set aside, optionally wash out bowl if you don't want bits of crumble in your fruit mix.

Perfect apple slices!

2. Filling: Peel, core and quarter the cooking apples, slice just under 1/2cm thick (if you have a sturdy egg slicer, they're perfect for this - cheap ones are no good though as the wires stretch or snap!), and add to the bowl with the sugar, butter and cinnamon. Cook for 8 minutes / 100C / Reverse / Speed spoon (slowest speed) to soften a little. Once cooked, pour off excess liquid into a separate jug, and set aside to cool a little.

3. Tip the cooked apples into a large bowl, then peel, core and slice the eating apples and add to the cooked apples with the lemon juice and toss together. Put the cornflour into a small dish or ramekin, and add a little of the reserved juices and stir into a thin paste. Once the lumps have gone, stir in the rest of the reserved juices, then add this mixture back to the apples with the blackberries and gently stir through.

4. Custard: Add 1 tbsp of vanilla extract or paste, and the rest of the custard ingredients to the bowl and cook for 10 minutes* / 90C / Speed 4 (you will hear the sound change when the custard has thickened - timing may vary very slightly according to temperature of ingredients / fridge - if not thickened, cook for another minute and check again). While the custard is cooking, divide your fruit mix between two lasagne size dishes (or more if you want to freeze in portions). Taste the custard once cooked, and add more of the vanilla extract / paste if required, to taste, giving a quick stir on Speed 3.

5. Pour the custard over the top of the fruit mix, scatter the crumble evenly over everything and if you wish to freeze, do so at this point, or cook each six-serving crumble at gas mark 4 / 180C / 160C fan oven for approximately 40-45 minutes until bubbling and golden on top (adjust timings as appropriate for your oven, and smaller portions - e.g. 25 minutes for a two person serving). You can check it's cooked all the way through by inserting a skewer in the middle and checking the fruit is tender and hot. Leave to stand for around ten minutes before serving.

*If halving the ingredients, cook the custard for 6 minutes only, and the apples for 6 minutes also.