WINTER CRUMBLE TART
Ingredients
- 225g/8oz plain flour
- plus extra for dusting
- 125g/4½oz chilled butter
- cut into cubes
- 30g/1oz caster sugar
- 1 large free-range egg
- beaten
- 4 large Bramley apples (about 1.2kg/2lb 10oz)
- peeled
- cored and cut into small chunks
- 150g/5½oz caster sugar
- 275g/10oz fresh blackberries
- 175g/6oz plain flour
- 100g/3½oz butter
- at room temperature
- cut into cubes
- 50g/1¾oz rolled oats
- 100g/3½oz demerara sugar
- 50g/1¾oz hazelnuts
- roasted and chopped
- custard or double cream
- to serve
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
- For the pastry
- pulse the flour and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (or rub the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl using your fingertips).
- Add the sugar
- egg and 1-2 tablespoons of cold water and mix again until the mixture comes together as a smooth dough.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a circle that's about 3mm thick and large enough to line the tart tin. Press the pastry into the base and sides of the tin and make a small lip around the top with the excess pastry. Prick the base all over with a fork
- then chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Line the chilled pastry case with baking paper and baking beans
- then bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes
- or until the lip of the pastry is light golden-brown. Remove the baking beans and paper
- then reduce the oven temperature to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3 and bake for a further 8-10 minutes
- or until the pastry case is crisp and golden-brown all over. Set the pastry case aside in its tin to cool
- leaving the oven on.
- For the filling
- place the apples
- sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a large
- deep
- lidded saucepan and cook over a medium heat
- stirring gently
- for 4-5 minutes. Cover the pan with the lid and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Simmer
- without stirring
- for 5-10 minutes
- or until the apples have softened but still retain their shape.
- Stir the blackberries into the cooked apples and continue to simmer for a further 5-10 minutes
- or until all of the fruit is just tender. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile
- for the crumble topping
- put the flour and butter into a large mixing bowl and rub the ingredients together using your fingertips
- until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the remaining crumble topping ingredients and rub them into the mixture until small clumps have formed. (Alternatively
- pulse all of the crumble topping ingredients in a food processor - there is no need to wash this out after making the pastry.) Set the crumble topping aside.
- Suspend a colander over a bowl and strain the cooked fruits
- collecting the juices. Spoon the fruits into the cooked pastry case. (If there is too much fruit to fit into the pastry case
- add the remaining fruit to the reserved fruit juice.)
- Sprinkle the crumble topping all over the fruit filling and bake the tart at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 4 for 20-25 minutes
- or until the crumble is crisp and golden-brown.
- Meanwhile
- boil the reserved fruit juice in a saucepan for 3-4 minutes
- or until thickened to a syrup.
- Serve the tart warm
- in slices
- with the extra fruit juice spooned over it and either custard or cream on the side.

