Baked Apple and Flapjack Crumble

The baked apple and flapjack crumble is a special take on the class apple crumble. It is a recipe developed by the chef at the Ostrich Inn in Newland over ten years ago. Then it was put together to serve 6 people at a time but has been reduced to 4.

Serves: 4; Preparation time: 15-20 minutes; Cooking time; 25 to 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4-5 dessert apples not cookers, halved and cored to remove pips.
• 75g/3 oz. raisins
• 4 tbsps golden syrup
• 6 tbsps water or apple juice
• 50g/2 oz. plain flour
• 50g/2 oz. rolled oats
• 50g/2 oz. light brown sugar or muscovado sugar
• 50g/2 oz. unsalted butter, diced at room temperature
• 2 tbsps sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsps sesame seeds

Preparation:

1. Place the apples with the cut side up in a shallow ovenproof dish. Place raisins among and on the apples by pressing them into the core of the flesh.
2. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of golden syrup and add the apple juice/water to the base of the dish.  Leave the remaining syrup for later.
3. In a small bowl, place the flour, oats, sugar and butter. Rub the butter with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in seeds. Spoon and heap the crumble on the top of the apple pieces. 
4. Drizzle with any remaining syrup.
5. Set an oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 6 for 20 to 25 minutes until the crumble is golden and the apples are soft.
6. Serve warm with spoonfuls of creme fraiche, double cream or vanilla ice-cream.