Blackberry and apple crumble
October 2020
At this time of year huge, dark red raspberries give way to the first tiny blackberries in my garden so I use a mixture of the two which gives a bright pink colour to the crumble. Ripe apples fall off the tree and I love to collect all this fruit (as well as more collected on dog walks) for crumbles, cobblers and pies – yes all low-carb but a once-a-week treat rather than a daily occurrence!
I always think the blackberry is an intelligent plant as the berries ripen at different times so their season is prolonged. This gives their seeds more likelihood of being spread and their genes continuing. They don’t require any help, grow on the roughest and driest of land and produce hundreds of berries. The raspberry on the other hand is loud and brash, needs pruning, feeding and watering but its fruit is sparse and over in three weeks.
The topping takes minutes to make and it’s the perfect comfort food, especially when served with cream or vanilla custard.
Ingredients - Serves 8
600g (1lb 3oz) apples, unpeeled, cored and sliced
150g (5 ¼ oz) blackberries and/or raspberries/strawberries/peaches
For the crumble
2 medjool dates, stoned and finely chopped
50 (2oz) butter, cubed
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Heat oven to 2oo°C/180°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Don’t peel the apple but remove the core and slice into pieces no thicker than your little finger. Cook the apples and 100ml (3½fl oz) water in a saucepan with a lid over a medium heat for anywhere between 3 and 10 minutes until just soft. This will depend on your type of apple; they really do vary. Add the berries and stir through.
Taste the mixture. I try not to add any sweetness but if your fruit is really tart then add your sweetener of choice until you are happy. (A word of caution: that doesn’t mean spoonfuls of sugar obviously! By sweetener of choice I mean erythritol, xylitol, stevia or the minimum of a natural sugar such as a medjool date or spoonful of honey or maple syrup.) See sweeteners below for more information.
Transfer the apple mixture to a shallow ovenproof pie dish approx. 23cm round or 25 x 20cm rectangle.
Now make the crumble. Put the dates into a cup and add two tablespoons of very hot water. Use a fork to mash them into submission (to form a rough paste). Use a spatula to transfer this into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients for the crumble. Use your fingertips to rub the mixture together to create breadcrumbs. Don’t overmix it or the heat of your hands will melt the butter. Scatter the crumble evenly over the apples in the dish.
Put the crumble into the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until rich golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before serving. Enjoy it with whipped cream or custard.
Sweeteners
Yes, it is possible to have a little sweetness in your low-carb life! In our quest to use real food, we haven’t added any artificial sweeteners. We prefer to use natural sweetness from fruit, dates and occasionally honey or maple syrup in our recipes but if you are going keto do use a sweetener such as xylitol or stevia instead.
When divided into small portions the ‘carb hit’ in our recipes is usually manageable and very low when compared to traditional desserts, which are almost always sugar laden. However, for some diabetics even minimal carbs may be enough to trigger sugar cravings. If that sounds like you, then you may be better sticking to lower carb desserts and focusing on the joy of cream to create a decadent punch instead.
If you are opting for a piece of fruit with or after a meal, then berries are the lowest carb options. A single banana, for example, will send sugar levels soaring, as will other tropical fruits like mango and pineapple.
Learn more great recipes by joining us on one of our low carb cookery courses. See HERE for a list of upcoming dates.
