- Kate Winslet parbakes her apple crumble topping for extra crispiness.
- Before baking, Winslet cooks her apples with cinnamon and sugar on the stove.
- The combination results in a slow-cooked cinnamon filling and a crisp, “biscuity” top.
Kate Winslet is known for her impressive body of work. From prestige television to Oscar-winning films, she’s always bringing new characters to life on our screens. As it turns out, she’s also excellent at making apple crumble, a cozy, seasonal dessert that’s perfect for this time of year. She spilled her secrets to a scrumptious apple crumble for an episode of the Off Menu podcast.
For their Christmas special, hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster had the Oscar winner on to talk about past projects like Titanic and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as well as her directorial debut, Goodbye June. They also chat about all things food, including a dream Christmas dinner menu. Though it was a toss-up between two desserts, Winslet says her favorite is her own recipe for apple crumble because “I cook or bake my crumble topping first.”
To avoid the sensation of a bunch of the crumble topping getting stuck to the roof of her mouth, Winslet started parbaking her crumble topping on its own on a flat baking sheet before putting it on top of the apples.
When it’s not parbaked, Winslet explains, the flour, butter and sugar mixture get “steamed” by the moist apples, and it won’t have the crispy crumble the dessert requires. If any parts are crispy, it might be around the edges, but the middle will be soft and mushy. When she parbakes her topping, she says, “it just goes all biscuity and lovely.”
Winslet doesn’t just stop there when it comes to taking the crumble up to the next level. Before assembling the crumble, she cooks the apples in cinnamon and sugar a little bit. “‘Tis the season for cinnamon,” she quips.
She puts her cooked apples in a baking dish and then she said she puts her “delicious crumbly topping all over the top.” She says she bakes it for 15 minutes at this point, a much shorter oven time than traditional crumbles, which go into the oven uncooked or not parbaked, often for 40 to 50 minutes.
Winslet doesn’t mention what kind of apples she prefers or if she keeps the skins on, as some recipes do. Any firm apple that holds its shape is a good fit for a crumble, such as Honeycrisp. Another firm apple with a bit of tartness is Granny Smith, which also bakes well. Combining a few varieties is a pro tip for creating a nuanced, layered flavor. Winslet says her topping is flour, butter and sugar, but some recipes also include oats for a little more textural variety.
Winslet said this crumble recipe is going to be a recipe she will pass down to her children, though they might prefer a “decadent bread and butter pudding” that she makes every Christmas for them using two-day-old doughnuts or cake—this year, her daughter may even take that recipe on.
Winslet said her husband likes to eat his crumble “flooded” with custard, but she prefers “a big dollop of clotted cream.” Clotted cream is made by heating the cream and then baking it for an hour, which causes fat to rise to the top and create a crust. Pre-jarred clotted cream is available at some stores. (Or, you can also go with the classic a la mode and top your crumble with vanilla ice cream.)
Winslet’s second favorite dessert is a cheese board, in case you were curious. She named Sussex Charmer, a mature cheddar cheese, as a particular favorite.
Whether you go for a no-cook selection of cheeses for your next holiday dessert, opt for Winslet’s dreamy apple crumble method or stick to a tried-and-true family recipe of your own, you’re sure to have something delicious on your hands.
