Boy, have I got the perfect mid-week pick me up for you! It’s called, An Apple {Crumble} A Day, and is bountiful in its use of apples. Why is it called Apple {Crumble} A Day? Quite simply because it’s so addictive, you’ll want to have an apple {crumble} a day! Like, duh!
My masi (mum’s sister, the youngest to be specific) always has one question to ask me whenever we chat about our routines and basic lifestyle – whether or not I consume a mandatory apple everyday. My answer every times revolves around the fact that I am not loyal to one single fruit (well, TBH I would be to berries, if they were perennial) and like to eat what’s in season. Her maternal response always goes back to the mighty power of the apple, and how despite sampling seasonal fare, I must must must eat an apple everyday.
While her version of ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ never envisaged an apple crumble, I feel absolutely no guilt whatsoever in following her orders, with a little tweaking from my side! 🙂 This fail-safe recipe works not only on apple, but on peaches, berries, and any other fruit combination you want to use for the crumble of the day. And the best part is that it really requires no prior knowledge of anything, expect maybe how to chop apple or operate the oven. Oh, and how to scoop perfect rounds of vanilla ice cream! [Just in case you also loved those little scoops of vanilla instead of big blobs – I used a cookie scoop instead of an ice cream scoop, so that way anyone wanting to indulge in a second scoop doesn’t actually feel guilty at all!
To me, apple crumble signifies a warm, comforting and satisfying desert pudding, which really involves no fuss at all, and provides a real heart-warming bite (courtesy the cinnamon and nutmeg, I suspect). Now when I said that this is a fail-safe recipe, certain considerations have to be borne in mind. For example, if you’re making a mixed berry crumble, obviously leave out the cinnamon and nutmeg, and opt for vanilla instead. Apart from these few adaptations of flavour enhancers, the basic recipe for the crumble topping and the fruit mix ought to be pretty standard. So if I were to make a strawberry crumble, I would add a bit more sugar as strawberries tend to be a bit more tart in flavour.
The apple crumble can be made in a large ovenproof dish, or in little ramekins. For a larger group of people and especially when there is more than one desert on display, I would recommend a one-dish crumble so that people can help themselves to their preferred quantity. But, if like me you are celebrating anniversary week (4 years!!) and wish to surprise your loved one with a ramekin full of apple crumble in his lunch bag, then do individual portions 🙂
- 3-4 apples, peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
- 1 tbs lime juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbs chilled salted butter (if you use unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp salt to the mix)
- 4 tsp brown sugar
- 5 tsp granulated sugar
- Vanilla ice cream, to serve
- Keep the oven proof dish/ramekins ready for use. Preheat the oven to 170*c.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the crumble topping ingredients and using 2 forks (or a pastry blender, if you own one). The resultant mixture should be crumbly like clumps of soil, which is why it is essential to work with chilled butter instead of warm/room temperature butter, which would otherwise just melt and form a dough. [And a dough isn't a crumble, duh.]
- Now mix together the apple layer ingredients, pour into the ovenproof dish and evenly spread out the crumble layer on top - allowing almost none of the apple to peep through.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is nice and golden brown. Let it stand for a few minutes before serving with a nice round scoop of ice cream.
- [At this time, watch people come back for seconds!]
