Raymond Blanc pre-cooks the crumble topping to avoid gluey, uncooked crumble and retain the texture of the fruit.
Ingredients
For the crumble topping
120g plain flour
60g caster sugar
60g unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into pieces
For the fruit compote
300g Braeburn apple
30g unsalted butter
30g demerara sugar
115g blackberries
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
vanilla ice cream, to serve
Method
Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Tip 120g plain flour and 60g caster sugar into a large bowl.
Add 60g unsalted butter, then rub into the flour using your fingertips to make a light breadcrumb texture. Do not overwork it or the crumble will become heavy.
Sprinkle the mixture evenly over a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins or until lightly coloured.
Meanwhile, for the compote, peel, core and cut 300g Braeburn apples into 2cm dice.
Put 30g unsalted butter and 30g demerara sugar in a medium saucepan and melt together over a medium heat. Cook for 3 mins until the mixture turns to a light caramel.
Stir in the apples and cook for 3 mins. Add 115g blackberries and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, and cook for 3 mins more.
Cover, remove from the heat, then leave for 2-3 mins to continue cooking in the warmth of the pan.
To serve, spoon the warm fruit into an ovenproof gratin dish, top with the crumble mix, then reheat in the oven for 5-10 mins. Serve with vanilla ice cream.