1st November 2011
Apple & Blackberry Crumble with Blackberry Sorbet & a Doughnut by Eddy Rains
Week one's dessert quarter finalist Eddy Rains impressed the judges on Britain's Best Dish - The Chefs with his scrumptious take on a classic crumble. Why not try his recipe at home?
Serves 4
For the crumble mix
25g unsalted butter
25g plain flour
25g caster sugar
25g porridge oats
For the blackberry sorbet
300g blackberry purée
125g caster sugar
1 tbsp liquid glucose
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the crumble filling
1 cooking apple, preferably Bramley
25g caster sugar
4 blackberries
For the doughnuts
125g strong flour
10g fresh yeast
20g caster sugar, plus extra for rolling
15g unsalted butter, melted
1/2 egg
50ml semi-skimmed milk
500ml vegetable oil
For the crème patissière
20g caster sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp plain flour
1/2 tsp cornflour
1/2 vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out
125ml semi-skimmed milk
To serve
25g caster sugar
4 blackberries
1. For the crumble mix, preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas 4). Lightly rub the butter and flour together in a bowl until breadcrumb-like in texture. Stir in the sugar and oats, spread in a baking tin and cook in the oven for 5–10 minutes until golden brown. Cool and blitz in a food processor to achieve a crumble mix.
2. For the blackberry sorbet, combine 250g of the blackberry purée (reserve the rest to make a coulis) and the sugar with 250ml of water in a pan and bring to the boil. Add the glucose and lemon juice and then chill over a bowl of ice. Churn in an ice-cream machine until set.
3. To make the crumble filling, peel and finely dice the apple and sweat gently in a small pan with the sugar for 5–10 minutes. Add the blackberries and continue to cook for 2–3 minutes to soften. Put the fruit in a small ovenproof dish, top with the crumble mix, reserving a little for serving, and bake for 5 minutes.
4. For the doughnuts, combine the flour, yeast and the sugar in a food processor. Add the melted butter with the egg and milk and mix again, then roll into four balls and leave to prove until doubled in size. Heat the oil to 180°C in a large pan or deep fryer, then deep fry the doughnuts, one at a time, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
5. For the crème patissière, whisk together the sugar, yolks, flour and cornflour in a bowl. Put the vanilla seeds and milk into a pan and bring to the boil. Pour a quarter over the egg mixture and then return everything to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes and leave to cool in the fridge before piping into the doughnuts. Finally, roll the doughnuts in extra caster sugar.
6. To serve, first make a blackberry coulis. Put the reserved purée and the sugar in a heavy-based pan and heat to reduce gently for 5–10 minutes until it is a syrupy consistency. Paint a swish of coulis across large plates. Place a serving of the crumble on each plate and add a ball of sorbet on some crumble mix. Top the sorbet with a blackberry. Finally, add a doughnut resting on a bed of crème patissière.
Eddy is head chef at The Wheatsheaf in Combe Haye, Somerset. Have you eaten at the restaurant? If so, send The Good Food Guide your feedback!
Eddy's recipe from Britain's Best Dish - The Chefs, along with the other 112 recipes featured in the show, can be found in the sumptuous new recipe book Britain's Best Dish - The Chefs.