Notes for the Cook!
When apples are peeled and especially when sliced, their attractive
white flesh will very quickly turn a 'not-so-attractive' brownish colour.
This makes absolutely no difference to the taste, but 'looks' are
important. The method described below therefore leaves the peeling and
cutting of the apples to the last minute.
There is one 'trick'
described at the end to make the crumble surface look really brown and
nice, but please do keep an eye on the timing. A brown crumbly topping
looks absolutely delicious, but a black and burnt top is not so good.
Method
Turn your oven on now so that it's pre-heated ready to cook later on!
Heat settings are 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 5.
Now, make the
'crumble' mixture. I've tried this with my hands, an electric blender
and a fork. I think a fork is best but the experts prefer hands!
Mix the butter / margarine with the flour in a dry bowl
using a fork until you have a texture like breadcrumbs. It's not
important that every single bit is like breadcrumbs, but try and get
most of it like that. This will take about three minutes. If you
are adding the optional ingredients of oatmeal or Corn Flakes, do
it now. Mix it all in well.
Add 4
(not all the 6) ounces of sugar to the mixture and mix it all
together with the fork. This will tend to make the mixture even more
like breadcrumbs. That's your crumble mixture made and ready.
Peel the apples and cut each one into four parts. Cut out the core
from each of the sections.
Slice the apple quarters - no need to slice them too thinly,
about six slices per quarter section of apple will do just fine.
Put the apple slices into the casserole dish. If you
are adding the optional cinnamon, do it now. Make sure it is
sprinkled evenly throughout the apples. Sprinkle the remaining 2
ounces of sugar evenly over the apples.
Now, evenly spread the
'crumble' mixture over the sugared apples.
Put this into the
middle of your pre-heated oven at 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 5 for 40 minutes.
One trick you can use now is to put the apple crumble under a hot
grill for about 30 seconds to 'brown' the crumble topping. Keep a good
eye on it though because 30 seconds too much can result in a very black
crumble topping!
When the crumble is cooked, leave it to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Beware, apple crumble can stay really hot for an hour or so.
Serve hot
or cold with ice cream, cream or custard.
If there is any apple crumble left over, cover the dish with tin foil
and it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.