Apple and blackberry crumble

Ingredients

Fruit:

• 150 g caster sugar
• 100ml of water
• 60g unsalted butter
• 3 cooking apples peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 50g of blackberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

for the crumble:

• 75g soft light brown sugar
• 75g plain flour
• 75g flaked toasted almonds
• 75g unsalted butter

To serve:

• pouring cream, custard or vanilla ice cream

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Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Butter a shallow oval gratin dish and set it aside.
• Place the caster sugar with the water into a heavy based saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until it becomes a delicious toffee gold.
• Give it an initial stir to help the sugar dissolve, but after that leave it alone just until it begins to change colour.
• Add the butter in small pieces, whisking it well after each addition until the butter is completely incorporated. You should have a thick butterscotch sauce. Stir in the cinnamon. Add the apples and cook for an additional 4 or 5 minutes.
• The mixture will seize up, but don' be worried. This is completely natural and to be expected. It will loosen up and melt again as the pan continues to heat. After five minutes, pour the fruit mixture into the prepared baking dish. Tuck the blackberries here and there throughout.
• Place all the ingredients for the crumble into the bowl of your food processor. Whizz until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Scatter the crumble mixture evenly over top of the fruit.
• Bake for 40 minutes until the crumble is lightly golden and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm with your preferred accompaniment.