Apple Crumble

I always thought that crumbles were a tricky thing. If you lay on the topping too thick then it doesn't cook all the way through and part of the crumble is raw. If you lay it on too sparingly, then the fruit juices bubble up and cover the crumble causing the whole thing to sink and get soggy. If you don't cover all of the fruit with the crumble then the juices sometimes just bubbles over completely making a huge mess. I've accepted that I just didn't get it.

I saw this recipe on epicurious.com and because it received 4 wine glasses, I gave it a try and it was a great success.

I debated between using Gala apples or Granny Smith apples, but thank goodness I actually followed the recipe and used Granny Smith. DEFINITELY use Granny Smith apples. Anything else would be too sweet.

My husband helped peel, core and cut the apples. He likes doing that kind of stuff. The topping was made earlier in the day and I just refrigerated it until I needed it. There's definitely too much crumble for this recipe, but I'm saving it to make another crumble tomorrow. I'll try a different fruit though.

The butter has to be cold. You can't use soft butter or it turns into a creamy mixture and you don't want that. The end result should be pea sized crumbles. I first started out using my pastry cutter, but that was too hard. Hands were the best tool for this job. I actually laid a fairly thick layer of crumble on the apples using about 2/3 of it. I also grated a little bit of fresh nutmeg into it although this is optional as the original recipes does not call for it.

It was served warm with a side of vanilla bean ice cream. The ice cream makes the perfect pairing.

This is a great easy, simple, crumble recipe. I can only imagine the endless possibilities with it. It's going in the archives

Ingredients
* 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
* 1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
* 1 cup all purpose flour
* 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
*1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg (my own addition-opt.)

* Nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 4 pounds large Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored, each half cut into 6 slices
* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon


* Vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Mix oats, 1 cup sugar, flour, and nutmeg in bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until topping comes together in moist clumps. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Make sure you chill it if you're not using it right away.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Mix apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup brown sugar in bowl. Transfer to dish. Sprinkle topping over.

Bake crumble until apples are tender and topping is brown and crisp, about 55 minutes. Cool slightly. Spoon warm crumble into bowls. Serve with ice cream.