recipe: Blackberry Apple Crumble

isn't it interesting how meals are always about more than just food? of course, cooking and sharing a meal together is about nourishing ourselves- something we all need to do. But often it's also about community. About storytelling. About where we've come from and where we're going. 

last summer, while home in Vancouver for the summer, we spent a weekend with various family members at a cabin on the beach. It was one of the highlights of that summer for me, and if I'm honest, one of the best weekends I've had in my entire life. my family has walked through hard times together and, with grace, come out on the other side. There's something about spending time with those who you've struggled with and alongside- that weekend was pure redemption for me. when I think back on it now, sure I think about evening swims in the pacific, picking apples and blackberries from the garden, and walks along the coast, but I also think about the meals we shared, the conversations that kept us lingering at the table. 

today I want to share with you one last summer recipe. this is my mom's recipe for a very simple crumble, British style. The Brits apparently make a different kind of crumble than the Canadians do- this one is much simpler to make, resulting in a more crumby topping that's just delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. whenever I eat it, I think of that weekend, of family and home and of how sometimes life really is just too damn good to be true.

here's what you need:

1/2 cup butter (cold & chopped into small pieces)
1 1/2 cups flour/oatmeal
approx. 1 cup sugar
1/2 cup almonds or walnuts (optional but Waldi and I both love the walnuts)

3-4 apples 
250 g blackberries


It's a good idea to mix your crumble topping together first, as the apples will start to brown after they've been chopped. 

Just add your dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix the butter in with your fingers. Next, peel & chop your apples and layer them into a (buttered) baking dish along with the blackberries. Pour your crumble topping over the fruit and bake in the oven at 180C for 45 minutes. If your crumble doesn't seem to be browning on top, just turn the oven up to 200C for the last 10 minutes.

Let cool slightly after removing from the oven and serve warm with generous scoops of vanilla icecream on top. 

Yum!