September Pagan Challenge # 13 • Autumn foods.

There’s definitely something about this time of year — I start craving apple and blackberry crumble, and homemade pies.

As the nights draw in and get colder, and the leaves start to turn red, orange, and gold, and wild fruits start to ripen, my thoughts inevitably turn towards baking things with fruit and pastry and crumble, along with rich autumnal colours, big fluffy jumpers, and other hyggelig things.

A good crumble or fruit pie should not contain any cinnamon, in my opinion. Use a good tart apple like Bramleys (sadly hard to obtain in North America), or Macintosh, or Spy. Then add a lot of blackberries, preferably big juicy wild ones (not black raspberries but proper blackberries). Stew them in a pan and add brown sugar. Line a baking dish with butter and pour in the fruit.

To make your crumble mix, rub together sugar, flour and butter till you get a breadcrumby consistency (you can also add oats and hazelnuts or almonds). Spread it over the top of the fruit and bake at 350°F / 250°C until the top is nice and browned.

Serve hot with hot custard, whipped cream, or ice cream.

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