Apple crumble goes upmarket

When I was young my mum used to make a dessert called apple crumble. To make the crumble, she rubbed butter into flour and sugar. This mixture was sprinkled on top of stewed apples, and the whole thing was baked (till the top was crispy as well as crumbly) then served with cream or ice cream. Delicious! Over the years I've experimented with different toppings – adding spices, and using rolled oats or other cereals instead of flour – and this week I decided to take the dish to new heights. Mmmmmmm ...

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Make the crumbly stuff
Combine 125 grams rolled oats, 25 grams almond meal, 50 grams pecan nuts (roughly chopped), 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in a bowl. Add 50 grams of butter and microwave it all for about a minute till the butter is melted. Mix well.

Prepare the apples
Remove cores from about 500 grams of apples (I used three Pink Lady apples 'cos they're not too sweet yet not too sour), then chop the apples roughly. Microwave apples for three minutes till cooked but not mushy. Stir 50 grams of dried currants through the apples.

Put it all together
Spoon the apple mixture into a casserole dish. Spread the crumble mixture evenly on top, then bake for about 40 minutes.

What it looked like before going into the oven

We enjoyed it!