Apple Crumble - made 2 ways

Apple crumble is probably one of the first recipes I ever baked during Home Economics class, and so it always brings about some great nostalgic memories for me. In my intermediate school years (junior high to some of you!), we used to go to another school that had kitchen facilities to attend Home Economics class, and then after our afternoon bakes, we would place our baked goodies into empty ice cream containers (or whatever plastic containers we had brought along) to take home to our parents. I still remember my Mum's twisted expression when she saw my warm apple crumble mess inside an ice cream container which had been tossed about on the bus ride home. I'm pretty sure Mum had to muster all her strength to say "mm MMMMmmm" to the waft of plastic container-y, buttery, apple smell that was put before her.

Luckily for you ladies and gents, this recipe is a bit more refined and I definitely don't recommend you place warm things in plastic tubs for presentational purposes.

I *think* the American folk like to call this Apple Crisp, and that's exactly how I like my crumble topping; buttery, short and crispy.

Here is a recipe that you can make the old fashioned way, or the nouveau way for intolerant stomachs; gluten free and refined sugar free.

APPLE CRUMBLE - MADE 2 WAYS RECIPE

Perfect for 2 peeps!

INGREDIENTS

{Traditional way}

Apple filling

• 4x small (or 2 medium sized) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into bite sized cubes
• 2 TBSP Soft Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 2 or 3 TBSP water + squeeze of lemon juice

Crumble topping

• 6 TBSP Plain Flour
• 1 TBSP Oats
• 25gm Unsalted Butter, cold & cubed
• 1 tsp Demerara Sugar for sprinkling

{Gluten-free & Refined sugar-free way}
Apple filling

• 4x small (or 2 medium sized) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into bite sized cubes
• 2 TBSP Coconut Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 2-3 TBSP water + squeeze of lemon juice

Crumble topping

• 4 TBSP Almond meal
• 2 TBSP Rice flour
• 2 TBSP Quinoa Flakes
• 25gm Unsalted Butter, cold & cubed
• 1 tsp Coconut Sugar for sprinkling
• 1 handful roughly chopped almonds

STEPS

For the Apple filling
1.  Toss your granny smith cubes in a medium bowl with the sugar of your choosing, ground ginger and cinnamon spice.
2.  Place in a saucepan with the water and lemon juice and place on low-medium heat, stir and cook until the apples are tender. I.e. cook until the apples are no longer crunchy, soft but still holds their shape. You should also have a bit of sugary liquid residue in the pan.
3.  Once apples are tender, take the pan off the heat and leave aside to cool slightly.

For the crumble
1.  Using your fingertips, rub all crumble mixture (EXCEPT for the demerara sugar or coconut sugar) ingredients in separate dry bowl until the mixture resemble bread crumbs. Leave some clumps bigger than the other
2.  Place in the fridge until ready to assemble

Assemble & bake
1.  Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius
2.  In 2 small shallow dishes or ramekins, split the apple mixture between in each dish
3.  Top with the crumble mixture and sprinkle either the Demerara or coconut sugar on top.
4.  Place on middle shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and you can see the apple is bubbling underneath.

Enjoy nice and hot with some salted caramel ice cream on top!

Have a lovely warm weekend guys!

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