Skillet Berry and Brown Butter Toast Crumble

This is a great way to use up all the bits: a bag of frozen berries, those oats in the back of your pantry, some bread that may be past its prime. Feel free to reach for whatever frozen berries you might have on hand, and cinnamon, cardamom or any other sweet spice in place of the star anise. You could serve this with Greek yogurt instead of the cream or, if you’d like, some homemade or store-bought custard. Serve this as a brunch dish or as a late afternoon treat.

Ingredients

• 1 ½

  pounds/680 grams Braeburn or Gala apples (3 or 4), each peeled, cored and cut into 6 wedges

• 1

  cup/100 grams superfine/caster sugar

• ½

  cup plus 1 tablespoon/130 grams unsalted butter

• 1 ½

  teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

• 1 ½

  teaspoons ground star anise or cinnamon

• 4

  ounces/115 grams stale, crustless sourdough, roughly torn into 1/2-inch/1-centimeter pieces (about 2 cups)

• 1

  cup plus 2 tablespoons/100 grams rolled oats

• ½

  teaspoon flaky sea salt

• 1

  pound/450 grams frozen mixed berries

• ⅔

  cup/160 milliliters heavy cream (double cream), chilled

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius.
2. Add the apples, half the sugar, 2 tablespoons/30 grams butter, 3/4 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon star anise to a large, ovenproof skillet, and stir to combine. Transfer to the oven to bake about 20 minutes, stirring halfway, until the apples have softened but still retain their shape.
3. While the apples are baking, add the remaining 7 tablespoons/100 grams butter to a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once melted, cook for about 4 minutes, swirling the pan often, until nicely browned and nutty, adjusting the temperature as needed to avoid burning. Transfer the browned butter to a large heatproof bowl and return the pan to the heat. Add the torn sourdough and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes, until lightly toasted, then add to the bowl with the butter. Return the pan to the heat and add the oats and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, another 2 minutes. Add the oats to the bowl, along with the salt, remaining sugar and star anise, and stir to combine.
4. When the apples are ready, stir in the frozen berries plus 2 tablespoons water, then top evenly with the bread mixture. Return to the oven, turning the heat down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/185 degrees Celsius, and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Leave to cool and settle for about 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Add the cold cream and remaining 3/4 teaspoon vanilla to a small bowl and stir to combine. Serve the crumble warm, with the cold cream to drizzle on top.