The best apple and strawberry crumble

·
apple and strawberry crumble

Winter has arrived with full force in Cape Town as our first big cold front hits. Up until now, we’ve had a long and beautiful autumn and I’ve loved spending so much time in the vineyards soaking in all the beautiful colours. I decided that this apple and strawberry crumble was perfect for today’s stormy weather and I’ve been dying to make it since I first tried it a couple of months back. The strawberries add so much value, and it has officially become my favourite crumble recipe.

apple and strawberry crumble

Sophie is a cousin of a friend of mine who also happens to be a qualified pastry chef and this is her recipe (more or less). It’s utterly delicious.

apple and strawberry crumble

She served it with a vanilla bean crème anglaise which finished it off perfectly and reminded me how important it is to go the extra mile with what we serve our crumble with. My preference will always be lightly whipped cream with vanilla (Chantilly cream), homemade vanilla ice cream, or crème anglaise.

apple and strawberry crumble

autumn leaves

This recipe is a little extra special because I used unrefined golden caster sugar from Natura. Yes, that’s right, we now have a super-premium range of amazing naturally produced sugars in South Africa (made in Mauritius) and I could not be happier. 

If you understand mass sugar production, the molasses is refined out of the sugar and then added back. Here they make it to keep everything locked in. It’s unbleached, non-GM and non-irradiated. It tastes like sugar is supposed to taste and the flavours come shining through. Obviously, this process is much more labour-intensive and time-consuming so the product will be more expensive, but the quality and taste is simply exceptional. I can’t wait to play around with all the other variants.

a mug of rooibos tea

This strawberry and apple crumble has a super crunchy topping and the slivered almonds add extra crispness. As a textural eater, this is hugely important to me.

apple and strawberry crumble

apple and strawberry crumble

apple and strawberry crumble

Cooks notes ~ I used frozen strawberries because they are just as good for this purpose and quite convenient to have all year round. Just allow them to thaw first. Cut the apples into whatever size you like, but I like mediums sized chunks so they still hold their bite. The strawberries make a lot of pink syrupy sauce which is delicious. I used Golden Delicious apples.

You may also like:

Vanilla floating islands with creme anglaise

Sticky mango pudding with coconut custard (Bill Granger)

Hot cross bun pudding with chocolate and orange

Apple and strawberry crumble

Once you have eaten apple crumble with strawberry you wont want it any other way. Served with chome made creme anglaise its pure heaven.
Print Recipe
Apple & strawberry crumble
Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:40 minutes

Ingredients

Filling:

  • 350 g fresh or frozen strawberries
  • 6 apples peeled, cored and cut into medium & even-sized chunks
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 80 ml golden caster sugar or regular caster sugar

Crumble topping:

  • 120 g butter
  • 120 g flour
  • 120 g golden caster sugar
  • 50 - 80 g sliced almonds raw

Crème anglaise:

  • 1 cup 250ml milk
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 60 g sugar
  • 3 free-range egg yolks 

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
  • Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
  • To make the crumble topping, either do this by hand, or as I do, and whizz it through my food processor. Mix all the crumble ingredients except the nuts together until it looks like a fine crumb. Then using your hands, clump the crumbs together to make bigger bits.
  • Spread the apple and strawberry filling in an appropriately sized ovenproof dish and sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the top.
  • Scatter the almonds and bake for 35 - 40 minutes until the pie is bubbling and the top is golden brown. * If the top is over-browning during baking, cover loosely with a piece of tin foil (I pretty much do this with most of my baking.

While the crumble is baking make the crème anglaise:

  • Beat the egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes.
  • Heat the milk, cream and seeds scraped from the vanilla pod in a small heavy-based pot until it just starts to bubble around the edges.
  • While the mixer is still running, slowly pour about half the milk/cream mix into the egg and sugar mix, then add the rest and briefly mix.
  • Pour all of this back into the pot and return to the stove over low heat. Stirring continuously, cook this custard until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and holds a line when you run your finger through it. As it cools it will thicken more.
Servings: 1 Apple crumble serves 6
Author: Sam Linsell

autumn leaves gathered in Franschhoek

 
 

BUY MY NEW eBOOK 

 

 Find me on Instagram & Pinterest

 

                         

16 Comments

  1. I am the biggest crumble fan, so I am freaking out right now!
    Adding the strawberries and topping it off with the almonds is genius – I cannot wait to try it!
    And to finish it, homemade vanilla ice cream, forever and ever. 🙂

  2. Awesome Sune – you will love this 🙂

  3. This looks delicious, and I’m dying to make it, but where’s the recipe for the creme anglaise?

  4. The styling and photography of this crumble is so beautiful and inviting.. you definitely have got me craving a bowlful to devour now!

  5. Thanks Thalia 🙂

  6. Such gorgeous warm and cozy photos Sam! It would be hard to not eat the whole thing, hehe! I love the idea of eating this in the vineyards with a glass of wine! : D

  7. Fantastic photos as always. I have a abundance of fresh strawberries growing in my garden at the moment, so will definitely make this for dessert to have after our braai this evening. Might halve the quantity of apples and add some rhubarb – also from my garden!
    Lovely sunny day here in Worcester, England. Thanks so much Sam.

  8. I am just in so much LOVE with this. I can’t wait to light my fireplace and snuggle up and eat this. Thank you for posting such BEAUTIFUL work.

  9. Thanks so much Trisha 🙂

  10. Thanks Aleksandra – and a hug back from South Africa 🙂

  11. The best apple crumble i have made…my South African husband loves it!

  12. Thanks, Louisa, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. It’s my fave too

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *