Jumble Berry Crumble with Shortbread Topping

Serves	4 to 6
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	40 minutes
Total time	50 minutes
Allergy	Wheat
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Dessert, Lunch
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Birthday Party, Casual Party, Formal Party
Region	British

This was a quick throw it together Sunday Lunch pudding idea – raid the freezer for all the nearly used bags of frozen summer fruits, such as cherries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, bilberries (blueberries), blackberries and strawberries. Fling them all into an oven-proof gratin dish; whizz up a shortbread crumble topping – and Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt, as we say down our way! We loved it, the combination of fruits was wonderful – and it is a great idea for using up whatever fruits you have lurking in your freezer. I am sure that fresh fruit would also be suitable. We like our fruits to be on the tart side – so pleased add sugar to taste. Serve the crumble with hot custard, cold custard, cream, ice cream, crème fraîche or whatever takes your fancy.

Ingredients

700g (1 lb 9ozs) assorted frozen summer berries and fruit, or assorted fresh fruits and berries, such as: blackberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, blueberries, bilberries, cherries and strawberries
1 – 4 tablespoon sugar, to taste
225g (8ozs) plain flour
110g (4ozs) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
75g (3ozs) caster sugar

Note

This was a quick throw it together Sunday Lunch pudding idea – raid the freezer for all the nearly used bags of frozen summer fruits, such as cherries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, bilberries (blueberries), blackberries and strawberries. Fling them all into an oven-proof dish; whizz up a shortbread crumble topping. Fresh fruit such as Summer Berries are also wonderful when used in this recipe. We like our fruits to be on the tart side – so pleased add sugar to taste. Serve the crumble with hot custard, cold custard, cream, ice cream, crème fraîche or whatever takes your fancy.

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat the oven to Gas mark 4, 350°F, 180°C. You will also need a shallow oven-proof baking dish with a diameter of 9 inches (23 cm), 11/2 inches (4 cm) deep.
Step 2	First, make the topping. All you do is place the sifted flour, butter and sugar in the processor and give it a whiz until it resembles crumbs. If you don’t have a processor, place the flour in a large mixing bowl, then add the butter and rub it into the flour lightly, using your fingertips. Then when it all looks crumbly, and the fat has been dispersed fairly evenly, add the sugar and combine that well with the rest of the ingredients.
Step 3	Now arrange the mixed fruit in the dish and sprinkle over the sugar to taste, then add the crumble mixture, spreading it out all over the fruit with a fork and pressing down firmly. Place the crumble on a high shelf in the oven and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes until the top is golden and crisp. Serve with chilled pouring cream, custard, whipped cream, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.