Apple Crumble in my brand new Emile Henry baking dish

Last weekend I spent the better part of an hour browsing through one of the city's better kitchen stores: The Cook's Place.



I went there thinking I'd pick up a few odds and ends, and I did: a box grater, some tasting spoons for cooking class, a sink strainer. But what immediately caught my eye were the Le Creuset Dutch ovens, and the Emile Henry bakeware. Knowing that I simply didn't have the disposable cash to drop upwards of $300 on the former, I thought maybe I could treat myself to one of the Emile Henry items. They're by no means cheap, either, but a few of the pieces were in my price range. After a lot of hemming and hawing I settled on a 9 in x 9 in baking dish in a vibrant blue, one of their classic colours.

I wanted to use it, pronto! So, finally, tonight, I had time to make one of my favourite desserts, and one of the simplest to prepare: apple crumble.



I based my recipe on a Donna Hay recipe for Apple Blueberry Crisp, but didn't bother with the blueberries and adjusted the sugar because I was using Braeburn apples rather than the tarter Granny Smith variety Hay calls for. Braeburns are great for baking because they don't turn to mush after an hour in the oven.

I took a few photos of the dessert before and after, and I meant to take a beauty shot of the finished dessert in a bowl with some luscious Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream on the side but I was so anxious to devour the still-oven-warm crumble I forgot! Oh well, trust me when I say it's delicious!



Apple Crumble

4-5 Braeburn apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix together topping ingredients (oats through cinnamon) in a bowl, using a fork or your fingers to combine.

Peel, core and chop apples, combine in a separate bowl with white sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest.

Put apple mixture in bottom of 9x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with topping. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until topping is golden brown and apples are bubbly.

Best served warm with vanilla ice cream or creme Anglaise.

Serves 4-6

Adapted from Modern Classics 2, Donna Hay.



Salut!

Suzanne

Questions, comments? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.