APPLE CRUMBLE

This recipe is good for any tart fruit, particularly apples, apricots, or plums; when we lived in Burgundy, we would add the wild peaches from our centuries-old walled vegetable garden. This was the children’s favorite recipe to make with the food processor, though of course the butter can be rubbed into the flour by hand too.

Serves 6 to 8
3/4 cup/170 g cold butter, diced
2 cups/250 g flour
2/3 cup/140 g sugar, more if needed
2 lb/900 g apples

1. Heat the oven to 190˚C/375˚F. Put the flour and diced butter in a food processor and work them to fine crumbs using the pulse button. Alternatively, dice the butter with a knife and then work it to crumbs with your fingers. Stir in the sugar.

2. Peel, core, and slice the apples. If very sour, toss the fruit in a little sugar. Butter a medium baking dish and spread the apples to form a 1-inch/2.5-cm layer. Cover it evenly with the topping and bake in the oven until the crumble is golden and the fruit juice bubbles around the edges, 40-50 minutes.

Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb is the first fruit to ripen in early spring in a traditional vegetable garden. Trim the ends of rhubarb sticks and peel any outer strings with a vegetable peeler. Cut the sticks lengthwise into sticks, then crosswise into dice and substitute for the apple slices in Apple Crumble.