Apple Crumble - A Winter Pudding

In winter it is nice to sit back after a main course and enjoy a hot dessert & one of my favourites which is east to make is Apple Crumble  which we used to enjoy as children & I enjoyed making it for my family .

It tastes delicious served with custard, cream or vanilla icecream and can be made in various ways .

When I am in a hurry I like to use a can of tinned apple for the crumble , however we used to use Granny Smith apples mainly for dessert if we had them at home otherwise we used whatever was available , even other fruit such as peaches or blackberries .

They all are nice even blackberry & apple crumble for a change !

Other times I peel 2 - 3 apples & use them

2-3 peeled & sliced apples or can of apples.

Small amount of cinnamon to mix with the apples approx 1 tbsp

.1 cup plain flour

3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

Peel and core apples, then cut into rough 1-2cm cubes. Place apples in large saucepan and cover with water. Simmer covered with lid on high until apples are tender but not too soft (usually 5-10mins once water is simmering). Drain apples well and place in large bowl 2/3 cup butter (melted)

CRUMBLE MIX

. Combine flour, brown sugar,  and cinnamon in a large bowl  until evenly mixed through.

 Melt butter (do not burn or boil it) and add vanilla essence to butter, stir through. .

Add butter mix to dry ingredients and mix well using a fork. Ensure all ingredients are moist and mixture has a crumbly texture.

 Place apple mix evenly in medium casserole dish.

Sprinkle some cinnamon over the apples.

Spread crumble mix over top of apple.

 Bake at 180 degrees C for 30-40minutes, or until crumble topping is slightly browned.

Serve with vanilla icecream, cream, or custard and ENJOY!

 I like to experiement with my apple crumbles so other ingrediants I have used over the years are

sultanas with the apple

Peaches & apple crumble

rolled oats in the crumble

weetbix in the crumble

coconut

apple & blackberry crumble

 

I got this out of a magazine and love it...hope you do to

Cooking Time 30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

Melted butter, to grease

115g (3/4 cup) plain flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
180g butter, chilled, cubed
140g (2/3 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
35g (1/3 cup) rolled oats
4 (about 210g each) golden delicious apples (see variations)
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbs caster sugar
Double cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 190°C. Brush a 6cm-deep, 1.25-litre (5-cup) ovenproof dish with the melted butter to grease (if you use a shallower dish, the crumble will take a little less time to cook).
Combine the flour and 1 tsp of the cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the butter and use your

 

 fingertips to rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the brown sugar and oats.

Quarter and core the apples. Slice the quarters into1.5cm-wide wedges. Place the apple wedges in the greased dish, pour over the lemon juice and toss well to coat. Combine the caster sugar and remaining cinnamon, and sprinkle over the apples. Toss well to combine. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the top to completely cover the apples.
Place the dish on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the crumble topping is golden and the apples are tender when tested with a skewer but still hold their shape. Serve warm with the cream or ice-cream.

Notes & tips
Tip: The best apples for crumbles, pies & tarts Golden delicious, jonagold, jonathan, lady williams and sundowner.
Variations:
((( Rhubarb & apple crumble )))
Omit the cinnamon. Replace the rolled oats with 35g (1/2 cup) shredded coconut. Reduce the apples to 2 (about 210g each). Add 1 bunch (about 550g) rhubarb, leaves discarded, ends trimmed, washed and cut into 5cm lengths, with the apples in step 3. Replace the lemon juice with 1 tbs fresh orange juice.
((( Peach & walnut crumble )))
Replace the ground cinnamon with ground nutmeg. Replace the rolled oats with 55g (1/2 cup) good-quality walnut halves, roughly chopped. Replace the apples with 6 (about 1kg) freestone peaches. Cut a small cross into the base of each peach and place in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 5 minutes. Remove the peaches from the water and use a small sharp knife to peel and discard the skin. Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones and cut each piece in half lengthways. Place the peach quarters, cut-side up, in the greased dish. Omit the lemon juice.