My dad and my husband are two of the most important men in my life. Two men who are as different from each other as humanly possible. To use a cliche, they are ‘chalk and cheese’. I am not going to say who is the chalk and who the cheese 🙂 Other than their unquestionable love and devotion to me, there are very few things these two have in common. But there is this one thing that they both absolutely adore, to the point that I think it rivals me!!! It is (and this is slightly embarrassing) the humble Apple Pie. I mean, I am classy, it could have been at least a delicate and airy Pavlova, or a complex Dobos Torte or something… but no it is an Apple Pie (men!! I tell you!!!)
So, to expect that I am a pro at Apple Pie making is not a tall ask, right? Wrong!! I am terrified of making a pie crust. I have a hundred score recipes of the easy pie crust, the no fail pie crust, the this pie crust and the that pie crust, but I just do not have the courage to actually make a pie crust. Ergo, I have never made them an Apple Pie. Not that they complain, but I always cringe, when I ask for dessert preferences and neither mentions the Apple Pie (they are both aware of my crippling fear). I know one day I will surmount my fear and make a crust, but till that day comes, I need an alternative. And I think I have found it.
The other day, when fruit shopping I chanced upon a lovely assortment of apples. I absolutely love apples, can never have enough of them, so I bought a huge batch. Now with the climate we have, it became apparent that a my lovely apples were not going to be lovely for long. So out came the gift baskets and apple gifting began. At the end of the day I was left with a few lovely granny greens, washington reds and orangey shimlas. An old recipe book had also thrown up a delightfully simple apple crumble recipe. How could I resist the call of the apples, so with a shaky hand and firm resolve I set to make my apple crumble.
Now this isn’t some huge culinary discovery, it has been around forever, but I just didn’t realize how close it is to an apple pie. In fact it is an upside down apple pie, without the crust making stress. At the end of it, all my stress came to nought, it practically makes itself!!
So you chop the apples fine and let them stew in orange juice with some sugar, cinnamon and a sprig of mint. When the heavenly cloud of cinnamon+apples+orange with a whiff of mint hugs you tight you know your stuffing is done. Pack it in your serving dish and adorn with almond meal and sugar rubbed with butter topping and bake till golden brown. Let it cool and dig in.
 
Variations
This once my oven has gone poof so I ‘baked’ it on a stove top. There is no compromise in the taste, just that the top doesn’t brown as beautifully. Take a large bowl with a tight lid. This bowl should be able to contain the bowl you are making your apple crumble in. Add a layer of sand on the bottom, place your apple crumble bowl on it, cover and cook for about 20 minutes on a gentle flame. Resist the temptation to open and check, use your nose. Trust me you will be able to tell.
I used almond meal, but feel free to substitute with All Purpose Flour or oats flour.
Orange juice and orange segments can also be omitted, use good old water.
The mint is entirely optional, I love the whiff of freshness it brings to a dish.
Granulated white sugar was all I had at hand that day, but brown sugar too, does wonderful things to the crumble.
I have a thing against peeling apples, so I never ever peel them… but if you don’t share my qualms, by all means go ahead.
The one thing I would wish you avoid substituting is butter, the really thing tastes so so much better than anything else.
Ingredients
- 3 medium apples cored and chopped fine
- 1 cup orange juice
- 3 segments of an orange peeled and pithed
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp of granulated sugar (increase or decrease according to preference)
- 1 2 inch stick of cinnamon
- 1 cup of almond meal
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
- a few sprigs of mint
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Core and finely chop your apples. Peel them first, if you so prefer.
- Roughly chop the peeled and pithed orange quarters.
- In a wide pan, drop your apples, the orange segments, sugar, cinnamon and mint.
- Pour the orange juice and cook covered, on a a gentle flame, till the apples become soft, about 30 mins.
- Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon and check to see that the apples do not burn. You want the apples to be soft, not pureed. Take off the flame as soon as they are done.
- While the apples are cooking, in a mixing bowl, add the almond meal 1 tbsp of sugar and butter. Mix till it resembles bread crumbs.
- Pack the cooked apples in a greased oven proof dish and cover with the almond meal topping.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes or till the top is golden and the apple mix bubbling.
- Serve warm. It is wonderful as is, but can be served with either a chilled custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
