As the evenings begin to draw in, my thoughts turn inexorably towards warming, traditional puddings and when I was given some freshly foraged damsons recently, there was only one thing on my mind - juicy damsons, sweet organic apples, aromatic cinnamon ...............it must be Damson & Apple crumble!
I have given up sugar so use eating apples instead of cooking apples to sweeten the fruit filling but you can always add some honey if you prefer.
The Recipe
250g damsons
6 large organic eating apples, cut into smallish chunks
75g buckwheat or almond flour
75g butter or vegan spread e.g. Pure
50g porridge oats
100ml organic apple juice
1 heaped tsp cinnamon
1 tsp honey (optional)
Cooking tip: Damsons are notoriously difficult to stone but this method makes it a bit easier. Wash the damsons and put them in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a fast simmer. Cook for 5 minutes or so until the damsons begin to soften. Drain off the water and leave until the damsons are cool enough to handle. Cut in half and the stone should slip out easily.
Cut the stoned damsons into quarters and place in a saucepan with the apple chunks. Pour in the apple juice and stir in the cinnamon. Simmer over a low heat for about 3 - 4 minutes. Pour off about half of any excess liquid and transfer the fruit mixture to an ovenproof dish. If you wish to add any honey as an extra sweetener, now is the time to do it.
To make the crumble, rub the buckwheat flour and butter/vegan spread together using your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the porridge oats and add an extra sprinkle of cinnamon.
Spread the crumble evenly over the top of the fruit mixture and bake in the oven until the top is golden brown (200C, 400F, Gas Mk 6).
Serve with cream, custard or the vegan alternative.
Annie x
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