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Crumble is about texture and about the moment that the fruit bubbles up. It is about the contrast of the slightly tart fruit and the crust. That is why it works best with that kind of fruit. The very best crumbles are with damson, or with cooking apples and blackberry or gooseberry.
Winter crumble
Serves 4
350g dessert apples 450g good mincemeat 1 large banana Juice of 1 small orange 100g flour 75g butter 50g sugar
Set the oven to 200C/400F (gas mark 6). Slice the apples fairly thinly (it is not necessary to peel them) and put them in a 900ml pudding basin or similar (a 15cm souffle dish, for instance), then stir in the mincemeat, the banana sliced into thick rounds and the orange juice.
Whizz the flour, butter and sugar in a food processor or work them to crumbs with your fingers, then drizzle over a few drops of water and stir. A few of the crumbs will stick together, which makes a crumbly, rather than powdery texture. Tip the topping on to the fruit and bake till crisp on top, about 25-30 minutes.
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