Rhubarb and Apple Crumble recipe

It occurred to me this evening that there's a distinct lack of pudding on this blog. The Seed and Sultana Flapjack is the only non-savoury recipe so far and I think of that as breakfast - it certainly wouldn't pass for dessert. For someone with such a sweet tooth as I have, this is a pretty major oversight so let's redress the balance a little!

We (Dave) planted a rhubarb crown in our garden maybe five years ago and I love picking the first rhubarb stems of the year. They are always so sweet with a delicious flavour. By now, the stems are getting bigger but are still more sweet than sharp. The plant itself takes very little looking after so it's easy food. As long as we (Dave) clear the brambles often enough that they don't strangle it, our little rhubarb seems quite happy. I have two favourite recipes that use it - the Lamb and Rhubarb Tagine I previously blogged, and tonight's pudding, Rhubarb and Apple Crumble. If you were to buy this crumble, eight servings would probably be suggested. I reckon it will really serve four (or two, twice!).

Ingredients:
3 large rhubarb stems
3 Royal Gala apples
small knob of butter
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger

6oz plain flour
3oz butter
3oz sugar

Preheat oven to about 180C.

Peel the rhubarb with a vegetable peeler and chop into roughly inch long pieces. Peel and core the apples and chop into pieces of a similar size to the rhubarb. I used Royal Gala today because they were on special and I bought an extra bag. Any eating apples would be fine.

Put the rhubarb and apple into a saucepan over a medium heat with the butter, sugar and ginger. Heat until the fruit has softened, the sugar has dissolved and there is liquid in the pan. Stir frequently so it doesn't stick.

When the fruit has softened but before it purees, remove from the heat and pour into an oven dish. The one pictured is an 8 inch diameter pyrex dish and, I believe, is actually older than me! Set aside while you make up the crumble topping.

Put the flour, butter and sugar into a large bowl and rub together unti the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. We like a lot of crumble on our crumble but you could get away with 4, 2 and 2 ozs if you prefer to make the fruit more the focus. Substituting a couple of the flour ounces with rolled oats can give a nice texture, or with ground almonds for a pear crumble. I digress.

Sprinkle the crumble breadcrumbs over the fruit and pat it down gently.

Put the crumble into the centre of the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid starts bubbling up around the edges. Serve with cream or ice cream. If any lasts to a second day, you can either serve it cold or reheated.

Enjoy! And if you have any other great rhubarb recipes, please post them in the Comments below.