I made apple crumble in small ramekins earlier today. I tasted one and the crumble felt a bit dry and not sweet enough, so I added white sugar on top and put it in the oven on broil, hoping to melt the sugar and make it better.
Naturally, I made the mistake of forgetting how fast and hot of a setting broil really is...
How can I salvage these apple crumbles? (remove the burned appearance and taste)
That is such a shame, they looked wonderful.
You may well be able to save the not-so-burnt ones. But you'll have to check the burnt taste hasn't tainted the apple base.
I'd start by carefully removing the burnt bits, (as Dorothy suggested above) and inspecting / tasting the base.
To repair the crumble topping. Mix up a new batch and bake it on it's own. Then when it has cooled enough to handle brake it up and re-top the crumbles.
Rather than grilling/broiling you can get a small blow torch like the ones plumbers use. They are great for this and Creme Brulee. You have much more control.
If you add a mixture of equal parts melted butter and honey or maple syrup, the sweetness and richness will counteract the bitterness to create what might become your signature Blackened Apple Crumble.
Immediately took the burnt pieces off and the burnt taste did not seem to have reached the fruit. Tried the baking a new batch of topping answer, and it worked -looked a little off, but tasted great. Whipped cream on top and good to go! Thank you
