By Kathryn McLean
Whether baked or raw, apples are enjoyed year round. But this is the time for picking the season’s freshest apples. Plenty of people enjoy going apple picking every autumn, choosing their own apples from the trees at an orchard.
I recently learned that the Centennial neighbourhood used to be home to a large apple orchard. Watson farm was located south of Lawson and west of Centennial roads, and was a big part of this community. That was before I moved to the neighbourhood; I only know that area as a community of houses surrounding Centennial Road JPS.
But I have certainly spent many autumn days with friends and family picking apples at orchards around the GTA. So what do you do with all those apples you’ve picked? Or picked up at the grocery store?
You can certainly eat them fresh. You can also consider slicing them into salads, or adding chopped apple to your morning oatmeal. Apples and peanut butter are a popular pairing. Enjoy the two together by spreading some peanut butter on apple slices, or top peanut butter toast with thinly sliced apples.
Another common way to enjoy all the apples of the season is in baking. Apple pie, cake, and muffins are all popular. One of my family’s favourite dishes made with baked apples is apple crumble. It’s fairly simple to make, and it doesn’t require a pie shell.
You can serve apple crumble as dessert, part of a brunch, or an afternoon snack.
And any leftovers will make a sweet breakfast. It’s also delicious with a scoop of ice cream or a spoonful of yogurt.
Consider your apples before starting: some varieties are soft while others are crisp, and that will affect the texture of your baked dish. Gala apple slices will hold their shape after being cooked. Try Honeycrisp, Fuji or Delicious apples as well. McIntosh apples are soft, and their flesh will cook up very soft, almost mushy.
While you don’t need to remove all the skins, an apple crumble will turn out better if you do remove most of the skin.
Apple Crumble
This recipe, adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe, is the one I reach for most often.
Ingredients
⅔ cup brown sugar (white sugar will be fine, too)
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup oats
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
Pinch of salt
½ cup butter (both room temperature or cold will work)
4 cups skinned, cored and sliced apples (6-8 apples)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Prepare the crumble topping: Combine all the ingredients except for the apples in a medium sized bowl, and set aside. Use a fork to break up the butter and mix it with the other ingredients. The raw mixture should be crumbly pieces, not a smooth dough.
Prepare the apples: Core and slice the apples and pile into an 8×8” baking dish
Assemble: Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the apple slices, using up all the topping and covering all the apples as best as you can
Bake: Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the topping is cooked and browned.
Enjoy the apple crumble hot from the oven, at room temperature or cool. Cover any leftovers and store in the fridge.