Apple Rumble Crumble

When walking the girls to school, we pass by some apple trees growing by the side of the road in a neighbor’s yard. They’re in full form right now, with multitudes of lovely apples hanging from the branches, emitting a sweet apple-icious perfume. (Or more likely the scent is coming from the apples that have already fallen, lying streetside, being feasted upon by worms in varying levels of decomposition.)

And as I discovered a couple of days ago, when S returned home with a bag in hand after visiting the neighbor, some of these apples are edible—as long as they’re cooked first.

So marked the commencement of my first baking endeavor in Europe. My mission? An apple crumble, which I figured would be easy enough. First I had to peel them and cut out all the worm infestations. They aren’t the same apples that are sold at the grocery store—they’re mini-sized, and the flesh has an acidic tang. I was worried they wouldn’t bake well, but it ended up making a nice snack after the girls came home from school.

Pre-baked apples; looking quite Cezannesque (but note the holes)

Still Life with Basket of Apples, Paul Cezanne

Here’s the recipe I used, it’s really simple and it came out well:

Apple Crumble

¾ cup flour
1¼ cup regular oats
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup apple juice or cider
¼ cup sugar
10 cup chopped apples

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius. Grease large baking dish.

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; then incorporate butter and vanilla extract with a fork until the mixture is moist and crumbly.

Combine apple juice, sugar, and a dash of salt in a large bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Toss with apples to coat evenly, then spoon into baking dish.

Sprinkle the oat mixture on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 30 minutes, or until top is golden and the apples are cooked through.