Skillet berries, bread, and browned butter

This is a great way to use up all the bits: a bag of frozen berries, those oats at the back of your pantry, that bread that really needs using up. The inspiration for this dish was the very British summer pudding, its simple combination of soft bread and berries winning the hearts of the nation. Like many of our dishes, it took a bit of a left-field turn and landed right here, in this cozy place of browned butter and oats, toasted sourdough, and sweet spiced fruit. Serve this as a brunch dish or a late afternoon treat.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Step 2

2. Put the apples, ½ teaspoon of star anise, half the vanilla, 2 tablespoons/30g of butter, and half the sugar into a large, oven-safe sauté pan. Transfer to the oven to bake for 20–25 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the apples have softened but still retain their shape.

Step 3

3. While the apples are baking, put the remaining ½ cup/100g of butter into a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Once melted, cook for 4–4½ minutes, swirling the pan often, or until nicely browned and nutty. Transfer the browned butter to a large bowl and return the pan to the heat. Add the sourdough and toast for 2 minutes, stirring often, then add to the browned-butter bowl. Next, toast the oats in the same way for 2 minutes and add them to the bowl. Add the salt, the remaining 1 teaspoon of star anise, and the remaining sugar, and stir everything together well.

Step 4

4. When the apples are ready, stir in the frozen berries and 2 tablespoons of water and top with the bread mixture. Turn the oven temperature down to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Let settle for 5–10 minutes, then sprinkle with the extra star anise.

Step 5

5. Combine the cold cream and the remaining vanilla in a small bowl. Serve the crumble warm, with the cold cream to drizzle on top.

Step 6

Make it your own:

Step 7

– Use whatever mixture of frozen or fresh berries you have on hand.

Step 8

– Play with the spices and bread, using up what you have in your pantry.

Step 9

– Make this super decadent and swap out the cold cream for vanilla ice cream.