As the long, cold months are soon to be behind us, it’s time to fill up on the things that make winter just that tiny bit more manageable. Rhubarb is almost out of season, but they’re still selling it at John Birrell & Son grocers’ on South Street, so I take that as an invitation to make a crumble (obviously)! It really is a lovely, warming pudding, perfect for a dinner with friends to get you through a week of deadlines.
When I make flapjacks, I usually make it up as I go along, but I realise that’s not hugely useful if you want to make it yourself, so I’ve given my estimates of quantities – you can’t really go wrong with a gooey, buttery, sugary mixture!
Ingredients:
3-4 sticks of rhubarb
100g caster sugar
1 punnet of blackberries
150g butter
100g caster sugar
6 tbsp golden syrup
300g oats
How to make it:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Wash the rhubarb and rub away any nasty bits of dirt. Chop off the ends and cut the rest into chunks as long as your thumb (unless they’re unusually sized, in which case you should see a doctor).
3. Tip into a pan with the sugar and allow it to simmer on a medium-low heat for about 15 mins (it doesn’t do anything for a while, so be patient!) Keep the lid on for the first half of the time and then remove it.
4. In the meantime, melt the butter in a separate pan on a medium heat. Once melted, add the sugar and stir until it has completely dissolved.
5. Add the golden syrup and stir.
6. When you have an even consistency, remove the pan from the heat and pour in the oats. Make sure that all the oats are covered in the liquid – the result should be neither too runny, nor too dry. You can add more oats if necessary. (This is when you can carry out the most vital task: taste check. You wouldn’t want to poison your friends, would you?!)
7. When the rhubarb is soft, but not mushy, arrange it in an ovenproof dish so that there is one even layer. Tip the blackberries on top.
8. Spread the flapjack on top so that all the fruit is covered evenly.
9. Bake in the oven for approximately 20-30 mins. It should be slightly crispy and a golden brown colour on top. Don’t worry if the liquid from the fruit has bubbled up a bit.
10. Serve immediately (but be careful not to burn your tongue on the fruit!) with a generous amount of single cream or vanilla ice cream.