Apple and Blackberry Crumble

This recipe is a fairly classic crumble - a dessert of British origin that consists of any sort of fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of flour, (vegan) butter, and sugar.  Although I used apples and blackberries tonight, feel free to vary the fruit in this dessert all summer long - rhubarb, peaches, and plums are other great options.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups peeled and sliced Rome apple
• 1/3 cup packed vegan brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1/2 cup vegan sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Combine the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, and water in a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes - the apples should be soft by the end.  Spoon into an 8-inch pie plate and top with the blackberries.

2. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife; place the flour in a medium bowl.  Cut the butter into small pieces and cut into the flour with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse meal.  Add the sugar and ground ginger, tossing to combine.

3. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the fruit, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

4. Remove the pie plate from the oven to preheat the broiler.  Return the pie plate to the oven and broil for 1 minute, until the crumble topping is lightly browned.

You can serve this on its own, or with a scoop of non-dairy ice cream or a spoonful of hot custard - check out the vegan custard from Just Wholefoods (a British company, but available here in the states from veganessentials.com).  It's a snap to prepare at home, and delicious warm over this dessert.

Nutrition Info:
8 servings (1 portion), Calories 287 

Tasting Notes:

I've only ever made a few crumbles but this was by far the tastiest - the apple filling was perfectly tender, and I loved the way that the topping practically condensed to form a soft pie crust with each bite.  Which leads to my next point, which is that crumble is the perfect easy dessert when you want all the taste of a pie, but don't want to take the time to make and roll out an actual pie dough.  I highly recommend that scoop of ice cream on top, since the contrast between the warm crumble and the cold ice cream was "restaurant-worthy."

Rating:
5