In our last post we mused on the fact that seed sowing (even indoors and in propagators) means that spring must be on the way.  In our house, a real marker that it must have arrived is the first rhubarb crumble of the year and here it is!

The first crumble of the year

Since Father Christmas bought Mark a 1-day cooking school at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons that gloried in the title “From Garden to Plate” (http://www.belmond.com/le-manoir-aux-quat-saisons-oxfordshire/cookery_courses) we have used Raymond Blanc’s recipe for Crumble and despite the Gallic hyperbole that this is “A traditional English dessert… perfected by the French” we do like the extra crunch that pre-cooking the crumble mix gives.  The recipe is …

100g Plain Flour

50g Brown Sugar

50g unsalted butter

Pre-heat the oven to 170°c.  Ina large bowl, mix together the flour and sugar.  With your fingertips rub the softened butter into the mixture until the crumble forms a light breadcrumb texture.  Spread the mixture evenly on a metal oven tray and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

This mix can then be spread over your choice of filling and reheated in the oven or under a medium grill as required.