bramley apples

Give your next crumble a dose of oats with this simple make-one freeze-one recipe

Oaty apple crumble

caster sugar

sultanasor raisins

soft light brown sugar

honey

pack butter

oats

plain flour

flaked almonds

cinnamon

Cook the apples with the caster sugar in a large pan, stirring occasionally – add a splash of water if they start to stick on the bottom. When just about tender and a bit saucy, stir in the sultanas or raisins and tip into 2 large ovenproof dishes.

Melt the brown sugar, honey and butter together in a large pan. Off the heat, stir in the oats, flour, almonds and cinnamon until sticky and crumbly. Divide over the apples. To bake straight away, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 then bake for 40-50 mins until topping is golden and crisp. To freeze, wrap dishes well or freeze the fruit and crumble mixture in separate freezer bags if you don’t have spare baking dishes. To cook from frozen, cover with foil and bake at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 1½ hrs, then turn the oven up to 220C/200C fan/gas 8 and bake for a further 45 mins, removing the foil for the last 15 mins.

Follow Gordon's steps for a sensational roast duck dinner, perfect for entertaining

Spiced slow-roast duck & apple sauce

duck

sunflower oil

lemon

star anise

garlic

potatoes

watercress

Bramley apples

butter

apple juice

Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Remove any giblets and pull the excess fat from the duck’s cavity. Use a roasting fork or skewer to prick the skin of the duck all over – do this lightly as you don’t want to pierce the meat.

Season generously inside, rub the skin with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves, cinnamon, star anise and garlic. Sit the duck in a roomy roasting tin (you will be adding potatoes to the tin later). Roast the duck for 2 hrs, pricking again every now and then. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 10 mins until just cooked.

Remove the duck from the oven and increase the heat to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Place the duck on a board and pour off half the fat from the tin. Toss the potatoes in the tin so they are completely coated in the juices, then push them to the side of the tin. Sit the duck back in and give it a final 20-30 mins in the oven to crisp up.

Meanwhile, make the apple sauce. Peel and finely slice the apples, discarding the core. Melt the butter in a pan until sizzling, add the apples and spices, then stir to coat.

Pour in 100ml apple juice, cover and simmer for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Add a splash more juice if the apples are becoming a bit dry. Cook until the apples have collapsed into a fluffy sauce.

Remove the duck from the oven to a board to rest, then place the potatoes back into the oven for 20 mins to crisp up. When the duck has rested and the potatoes are brown, you are ready to carve and plate up.

Here's a little reminder of a delicious British pudding you probably haven't eaten in years

Eve's pudding

Bramley apples, finely sliced

unsalted butter

raisins

soft brown sugar

eggs

self-raising flour

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Peel, core and slice the apples. Grease a large serving dish, about 2.5 litre/3 litre with 25g/1oz of the butter and tip in the apple. Scatter the raisins over the top.

In a separate dish beat the remaining butter and sugar together for 10 mins until the butter turns pale and the sugar starts to dissolve. Beat in the eggs, then carefully fold in the flour with a large spoon. Spread the batter over the apples, then bake for 45 mins until golden. Serve with the custard, below.

Try our classic Bramley apple pie with homemade shortcrust pastry. Simplicity is key to this traditional dish which makes for a comforting family pudding.

Ultimate apple pie

1kg Bramley apples

golden caster sugar

tbsp flour

butter, room temperature

golden caster sugar,

plain flour, preferably organic

cream,

Put a layer of paper towels on a large baking sheet. Quarter, core, peel and slice the apples about 5mm thick and lay evenly on the baking sheet. Put paper towels on top and set aside while you make and chill the pastry.

For the pastry, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until just mixed. Break in a whole egg and a yolk (keep the white for glazing later). Beat together for just under 1 min – it will look a bit like scrambled egg. Now work in the flour with a wooden spoon, a third at a time, until it’s beginning to clump up, then finish gathering it together with your hands. Gently work the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film, and chill for 45 mins. Now mix the 140g/5oz sugar, the cinnamon and flour for the filling in a bowl that is large enough to take the apples later.

After the pastry has chilled, heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Lightly beat the egg white with a fork. Cut off a third of the pastry and keep it wrapped while you roll out the rest, and use this to line a pie tin – 20-22cm round and 4cm deep – leaving a slight overhang. Roll the remaining third to a circle about 28cm in diameter. Pat the apples dry with kitchen paper, and tip them into the bowl with the cinnamon-sugar mix. Give a quick mix with your hands and immediately pile high into the pastry-lined tin.

Brush a little water around the pastry rim and lay the pastry lid over the apples pressing the edges together to seal. Trim the edge with a sharp knife and make 5 little slashes on top of the lid for the steam to escape. (Can be frozen at this stage.) Brush it all with the egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 40-45 mins, until golden, then remove and let it sit for 5-10 mins. Sprinkle with more sugar and serve while still warm from the oven with softly whipped cream.

Forget fiddly stuffing balls, this clever roll tastes delicious, plus its practical shape makes it ultra-simple to slice

Chestnut & cranberry roll

olive oil

onion, finely chopped

Bramley apples, approx 140/5 ounces each, peeled

x 450 grams/1lb packs good-quality pork sausage

parsley, leaves

sage, leaves

thyme, leaves

white breadcrumb

cranberry

rashers streaky bacon

butter,

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then gently fry the onion for 5 mins until softened. Finely chop the apples either by hand or in a food processor.

Squeeze the sausagemeat from the sausages into a large bowl, then add all the other ingredients, except the cranberries and streaky bacon. Season generously, then get your hands in and mix well. Weigh out 450g of the stuffing and mix a handful of the cranberries into it. Use to stuff the neck of the turkey (see 'Goes well with').

To assemble, butter and season a large sheet of foil. Stretch out the bacon rashers slightly with the back of a kitchen knife, then overlap 12 rashers on the foil. Spoon half of the stuffing mix evenly over the bacon, leaving a border of about 3cm. Scatter with half the cranberries, then pat them in. Tuck the long edges of the bacon over the stuffing; then, using the foil to help, roll the stuffing up into a log shape. Repeat to make a second roll.

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the foil-wrapped rolls onto a roasting tin and roast for 45 mins. Unwrap, draining off any juice, then finish roasting for 15 mins until the bacon is crisp.

Make up jars of homemade apple jam and gift to friends and family. It's delicious spread simply on toast, or as a filling in your favourite cakes and bakes

Apple jam

1kg Bramley apples, peeled,

½ lemon, juiced

Put a small plate in the freezer. Tip the chopped apple and caster sugar into a large saucepan along with 350ml of water and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Cook gently, stirring regularly, for 30 mins until the apples have collapsed.

Stir in the lemon juice, add the cinnamon stick and simmer gently for another 2-3 mins until the mixture is thick and glossy.

Remove the small plate from the freezer and drop a little of the mix onto it. Leave for a few seconds – it should be fairly firm. If it’s still a little runny, put the pan back of the heat and simmer for another 10-15 mins. Put the plate back in the freezer and test again, it should now be ready.

Divide between clean, sterilised jars and seal. Will keep for three months in a cool, dry place. Once opened, chill and use within one month.

Try making your mincemeat well in advance of Christmas to give the flavours maximum time to mature

Traditional mincemeat

currants

brandy

lemon, juice of ½

shredded suet

dark brown sugar

chopped mixed peel

nutmeg,

Bramley apple, peeled and grated

Soak the raisins and currants in the brandy and lemon juice for 1 hr until plumped up, then drain and set the brandy aside. Mix all the ingredients together in the order given, then pour in the brandy when everything else is well mixed. Spoon and press into sterilised jars, to exclude any air (the easiest way to sterilise jars is to run them through a dishwasher on its hottest setting). Cover and leave for at least a fortnight. Will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Tuck into this apple crumble, made exclusively in the air-fryer. Add dried berries, cherries or sultanas, if you like, and enjoy with vanilla ice cream or custard

Air fryer Bramley apple crumble

Bramley apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

tsp ground cinnamon or ginger

tbsp caster sugar

tbsp dried berries, cherries or sultanas (optional)

demerara sugar

tbsp porridge oats

cream

Heat the air-fryer to 180C. Put the apples, cinnamon, sugar and dried fruit, if using, in a heatproof dish with 2 tbsp water. Cover and cook for 10-12 mins until the apples have softened and become juicy.

Meanwhile, rub the butter into the flour, then stir in the sugar, oats and a pinch of salt until you have a coarse breadcrumb-like consistency.

Stir the apple mixture, then sprinkle over the crumble in an even layer. Air-fry for a further 10 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool slightly, then serve warm with cream, custard or ice cream.

Top 8 bramley apples recipes from across the web

The most viewed bramley apples recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Oaty apple crumble

Spiced slow-roast duck & apple sauc...

Eve's pudding

Ultimate apple pie

Chestnut & cranberry roll

Apple jam

Traditional mincemeat

Air fryer Bramley apple crumble

Top 8 bramley apples recipes from across the web

The most viewed bramley apples recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Oaty apple crumble

Spiced slow-roast duck & apple sauc...

Eve's pudding

Ultimate apple pie

Chestnut & cranberry roll

Apple jam

Traditional mincemeat

Air fryer Bramley apple crumble

The most viewed bramley apples recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine