Apple Crumble
No other country but the U.K. has Bramley cooking apples. Wait to make this until you have a surfeit of them in October and early November, as eating apples don’t work or have the flavour. You can still make a good crumble using rhubarb, gooseberries or plums, however.
Peel apples. Put in saucepan with a little water and cover with a lid. Apples quickly
go into a mush. Do not let burn. Set aside and keep warm. Add lemon rind.
Mix all ingredients in large bowl with fingertips until breadcrumb texture. Spread
4 small circles of the mixture onto a large non stick oven tray, sprinkle with
demerara and bake in the oven at 400°F (200°C) for 12 minutes until golden.
Spoon the cooked apple puree into four smallish bowls. Lift off and place onto of
cooked fruit.This way the crumble stays crisp. Serve with lashings of cream.
Theo Hodges
Theo Hodges was born in Kent. After a degree in Graphic Design she joined J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency as an Art Director working on accounts such as Rowntrees, Kraft and The Butter Council. While she was at University in Perugia, Italy she started collecting recipes from friends and family. In 1980 she set up her own design agency: Theo Hodges Design Consultants. For many years when they were young Theo, her sister and six cousins used to spend vacations at her Grandmother’s Victorian vicarage in Kent. ‘The thing about remembering childhood’ she says, is ‘there’s a whole lot of oblivion, and then out of it something floats up, quite sharp and clear. Many of the meals I can still see vividly and various recipes of mine were originally from Granny’s kitchen. ‘The kitchen garden was stuffed with raspberries, huge red dessert gooseberries, strawberries, runner beans, peas and much more with the hens in a shed at the back. But Granny only ate chicken breast and runner beans, followed by raspberries and Jersey cream - and therefore so did we. When raspberries were out of season, and in those days the season was much shorter, Granny made Victoria sponge cakes sandwiched with cream and home-made raspberry jam. On this limited but delicious diet we all thrived’. Theo’s mother was an excellent cook as well, and had been taught by the house- keeper at their house in Mougins, South of France. And once rationing was withdrawn in England in 1952 and good, fresh ingredients became available again, she amassed an enormous number of recipes which has formed the basis for Theo’s collection of family desserts.