Jim > writes:
>I'm trying to make a mixed fruit crumble. All's well, reasonable
>sweetness, but
>my crumble mix cooks up like a paste - pleasant but not quite right. Could it
>be that the fruit was too watery and that while cooling the juice has risen to
>keep the topping wet hence interfering with the cooking and inhibiting that
>dry/crunchy texture one expects?
>
>I used the ratio of 4 flour/3 sugar/2 butter (by weight) and added the sugar
>last.

It sounds like you need more flour relative to the amount of butter you
are using. Whenever you have a recipe which involves doing this kind of
thing to flour, you will find that changing environmental conditions,
especially temperature and humidity, will mean that you require
different proportions of flour and butter.

Here's how I would make apple crumble:

Caveat: there are no set amounts - it's done to taste and according to
the size of the dish you bake it in.

--FILLING--
Apples - use a tart apple such as Bramley or Braeburn. Core, peel, and
slice vertically into 8-10 wedges each. Larger apples, of course,
should be sliced into more wedges.

Brown sugar to taste

Cinnamon to taste

Butter

A bit of water - quantity depends on conditions, but aim for 1-2
tablespoons per kilo of apples

A bit of lemon juice to keep the apples from browning prematurely

Put the apples in a large pan. Toss them in the sugar and cinnamon. Add
the butter and the water. Put on low heat and cook gently until the
apples are soft. They will release quite a bit of liquid (juice). When
they are softened, but *still firm*, drain the liquid. Conserve this
liquid.

Put the apples in the baking dish. Pack them fairly tightly. There
should be a space at the top for the crumble topping.

--TOPPING--
180g flour (plain white)
120g butter (pref. unsalted)
60g caster sugar

Mix flour and sugar together. Rub in the butter to this mixture. If it
is too sticky, add more flour. The result should be that it resembles
breadcrumbs with a few larger bits.

--PUTTING TOGETHER--
Put the topping on top of the apple filling, making sure that it is
even. Aim for about an inch or so of topping all over.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 degC (fan assisted oven), about 220 degC
(conventional oven). The topping should be golden brown, with a few of
the more sticky-up "crumbs" a darker colour. Some ovens have "hot
spots" so you may need to turn the crumble part way through to make sure
the topping is evenly browned.

The liquid that you drained from the apples can be mixed with bread
that's going stale - brioche works well. Bind it with an egg and add
fruit - dried (e.g. raisins) or fresh (e.g. blackberries, cherries).
Bake at 170 degC (fan assisted) or 200 degC (conventional) until golden
brown.

Alternatively, add left-over rice to the liquid, plus a bit of dried or
tinned fruit, warm gently and eat, probably as a sort of fruity rice
pudding.

Excess topping can be baked spread out on baker's parchment spread over
a baking sheet - about 10 minutes at the same temperature as the
crumble. Eat as a snack by itself, use as "sprinkles" on ice cream or
baked apples, whatever.

--
SteveR
(throw away the dustbin, send to stever@... instead)