On location in SC - The Sunday pudding

I'm a great fan of mixing recipes and this is a perfect example. Another plus – you can make the base and topping separately and freeze and not necessarily on the same day! Note to self – if you do freeze the toffee apple base then make sure you do so in smaller pots or bags. You can then pull out however many portions you need and assemble rather than waste it – in your dreams!

Toffee Apple Crumble

Pre-heat oven 190c/170fan/Gas 5

For the toffee apple base

6-8 large Cox's apples, peeled, cored and sliced

115g unsalted butter

125g soft dark brown sugar

1 orange, zest and juice

A slug of Amaretto - optional

Place the apples, half the unsalted butter, the soft dark brown sugar, orange zest and juice (with Amaretto if you wish) into a large frying pan and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

For the crumble topping

150g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

250g self raising flour

150g demerara sugar

200g pecans, a mixture of finely

chopped and others left larger

In a large mixing bowl rub the butter into the flour – this is one occasion where using your fingers is better than a mixer – you want a texture to the rubbed in crumb, not fine sand. Add the sugar and the nuts and set aside.

Serve in individual ramekins or make one large crumble. Bake for 25 minutes.

The toffee apple base is also delicious as a topping for home-made vanilla ice cream.

In truth I can't remember where the recipe for the toffee apple base came from but the crumble topping is taken from Nigella Lawson's “How to be a Domestic Goddess” - Plum and Pecan Crumble.