This is the time of year when apples and pears ripen naturally on the trees and are at their freshest. Aim to buy locally grown fruit if you can. Your next best option is to buy Irish-grown apples or UK-grown. Cooking apples keeps their texture and requires a little sugar to sweeten them up. Eating apples tend to fall apart into a mash during baking but may need less sugar. Pears are a great all-rounder to add to any tart or crumble. They add flavour, sweetness and texture.
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180C. Peel and cut the apples, and either slice or cut them into bite-sized chunks.
- Wash and slice the pear thinly.
- Cover the bottom of a deep pan with just enough water, add the apples and pears and sweat over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring gently.
- Put aside. In a bowl, mix the flour and sugar.
- Next, start adding butter cubes, slowly working them into the flour and sugar mixture.
- You are trying to create a crumble texture.
- Once you have just enough for it to be crumbly dry, not too greasy, stop adding butter.
- Cover the bottom of an oven-proof dish with butter by rubbing one of the unused cubes along the bottom, then add the apple and pear mixture.
- Cover this with the crumble (you don’t have to use it all if you fancy a more fruity rather than floury dessert).
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, and enjoy hot or cold the next day as part of a super healthy lunch or breakfast.
