In this recipe for Gooseberry Crumble I embrace the tartness of the gooseberry but top it with a rich, gooey, yet crunchy crumble top. Get the recipe below.
A quintessentially English dessert
The humble crumble is a quintessentially English dessert that is made with a layer of stewed fruit, topped with a crisp yet crumble butter, flour and sugar topping that gives the dish it's name.
Apple Crumble is perhaps the most well know version of this dish. But you can get really creative with the fruit you use, including anything and everything that grows on hedgerows, rhubarb and strawberry and more. In this recipe I use tart gooseberries and apple.
The crumble top is so popular that it is also often used on top of cakes or muffins.
Crumbles are often made as one large dish (though you could make individual portions in ramekins). This particular recipe will serve 4 people. Ordinarily it is served with custard, ice cream, or pouring cream for some added richness and a contrast in temperatures.
What are gooseberries?
Despite being a foodie for most of my life, fearlessly trying anything my Dad ever put in front of me and hanging off of his apron strings in the kitchen, there were some foods I avoided. Gooseberries were one of them!
I avoided gooseberries for a long time because they aren't the most appetising looking fruit, They grow on thorny, unwieldy bushes, have alien-like transparent skins and dry leafy tufts at the end. If you can get past their appearance and invest in some decent gardening gloves then a gooseberry bush is a fantastic addition to a kitchen garden.
When are gooseberries in season?
Gooseberries are in season from May to September, and are usually at their best from late June through to early August.
What do gooseberries taste like?
The best way to describe a gooseberry is like a very tart grape. The green varieties are more sour than the reddish-brown variety but both work well in a crumble.
In this recipe I've decided to embrace the tartness of the gooseberry but top it with a rich, gooey, yet crunchy crumble top and so the recipe for Gooseberry Crumble was born.
What can you make with gooseberries (other than crumble)?
I have my own gooseberry bush and love picking the plump fruits before the birds get to them. At the start of the season I will make Gooseberry Fool, but towards the end of the summer I will more than likely make a crumble.
You can be quite creative with gooseberries so long as you cook them down first. Take these Gooseberry and Elderflower Butterfly Cakes for example. Can you get more British?!
The recipe
Gooseberry Crumble
Ingredients
For the fruit filling
- 1 apple
- 250 g gooseberries
- 0.25 lemon juice only
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
For the crumble top
- 50 g butter
- 100 g plain flour
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 75 g rolled oats
Instructions
- Cut any stalks off of the gooseberries and place them straight into a pan whole along with the lemon, sugar and apple (cored, peeled and cubed into pieces roughly 1cm in size.)
- On a medium to low heat let the fruits stew down in a splash of water.
- Once the fruit has burst and the apple has become soft, transfer into an oven dish or suitable ramekins. (If serving later place these to one side and add the crumble mix just seconds before heating.)
- To make the crumble topping place the fat and flour into a food processor and pulse until you have fine bread crumbs.
- Stir through the oats and sugar once this stage is complete to ensure they stay whole (this will mean the topping is extra crispy!)
- Alternatively, rub the fat through the flour using your finger tips until you have fine bread crumbs then stir through the oats and sugar.
- Place into two ramekins and spoon over a generous helping of the crumble mix then place into an oven at gas 6 for 15mins or until the dish is hot through and the topping crispy!
- Serve with your choice of custard/cream/yogurt!
Nutrition
Make it vegan
The only substitution you need to make this recipe vegan is the butter. There are only a handful of vegan “butter” blocks on the market right now but you can use a margarine block instead. If you are able to get Flora or Naturli block butter then these are my two favourites.
If you can't find a vegan block, choose your favourite plant based spread and freeze it before using. Note: you will have to work quite quickly when rubbing the frozen spread with the flour as it will melt quickly in your hands. Alternatively, grate the frozen spread instead.
Top tip
The crumble topping can be stored in the freezer in bags so don't worry if you've made too much!
More crumble recipes
More dessert recipes
To see the full range of pudding recipes on the blog, browse my dessert recipe archive.
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