Recipe: Butterscotch apple crumble

Apple crumble is the staple of British desserts, says Poppy O’Toole. It’s good just as it comes, but I think I’ve unlocked the next level in the game of crumbles by including butterscotch, which cuts through the tartness.

Ingredients: serves 4-6

For the topping

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• 150g plain flour
• 90g dark brown soft sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 100g butter, cubed and chilled

For the filling

• 50g butter
• 150g dark brown soft sugar
• 100ml double cream
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• a large pinch of flaky salt

To serve

• custard
• ice cream

Method

• Preheat the oven to 190°C.
• Make the topping. Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Then, a few cubes at a time, add the butter, using your thumbs and fingertips to rub it in until it looks like lovely, chunky breadcrumbs (you don’t want it too fine – some lumps are good for extra crunch once it’s cooked). Set aside.
• Make the filling. Place the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Leave to melt, then add the sugar and stir. Leave to dissolve, stirring every so often, just so that the caramel doesn’t burn. Meanwhile, pour the cream into a jug and stir in the vanilla.
• After about 3-5 minutes, reduce the heat under the pan to low and, using a whisk, carefully pour in the vanilla cream, whisking as you go.
• Add the apples and flaky salt, and gently stir them through so that the apple slices are completely coated in the thick butterscotch. Transfer this mixture into a medium oven dish.
• Scatter the crumble evenly over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the crumble is golden and the filling is bubbling.
• While the crumble is in the oven, warm up your custard: place it in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes, until it’s warm and silky. Be patient – don’t rush it, as we don’t want it to split.
• Serve the hot crumble in bowls smothered in lashings of custard – and vanilla ice cream, because I love it with that, too. So, yes, both.

Taken from Poppy Cooks: The Food You Need by Poppy O’Toole, published by Bloomsbury at £16.99. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £13.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk