Hello, hello!
Happy Friday, friends. How was your week? Snow is in the forecast for the weekend, and while I have to reserve time to pack and prep for the start of the semester (daily calls unfortunately don’t send themselves), I know I’ll also be baking up a storm with these last few days I have at home. If your weekend plans look similar, let me suggest a new recipe favorite: Ginger Apple Crumble, from Deb Perelman’s terrific cookbook Smitten Kitchen Every Day. Crumble goes by many names, but any combination of fruit with a topping of butter, sugar, and flour is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, especially as the temperatures fall, meals linger on, and the call to bake and savor a warm dessert is hard to resist.
In fact, you could consider this a cozy winter afternoon in a dish. The flavor profile is certainly reminiscent of one, pairing a heavy but delightful dose of ginger with tart, cinnamon-dusted apples. You could make it for the spices alone, but part of a crumble’s appeal too, I think, is the simple comfort in putting it together: the peeling apples and zesting lemons and sprinkling dough. Needless to say, a recipe this rewarding begs to be tested.
That in mind, before you start, a small kitchen note: I like crumbles served warm right from the oven—you could say I’m a touch impatient—but my family has found this just as tasty stored in the fridge and warmed again when the craving strikes. Not that it lasts long in our kitchen—nor, do I imagine, will it in yours!
Ginger Apple Crumble Loosely adapted from Smitten Kitchen Every Day by Deb Perelman
ingredients for the apple filling
- 3 large, tart baking apples (I used Granny Smith!)
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- A pinch of ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- A pinch of salt
ingredients for the topping
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon candied ginger
to make
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-by-13 inch baking dish.
- Peel, halve, and core the apples. Cut pieces into one-inch wedges, and arrange in a single layer in prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Pour over apples and mix to coat them. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large bowl. Stir in the sugars, salt, baking powder, and ginger.
- Slowly mix in the flour and candied ginger. Clumps should naturally form with the addition of the flour, but if not, add a tablespoon of flour and continue to mix.
- Sprinkle the crumble on top of the apples.
- Bake crumble for 40-45 minutes. Crumble should be lightly browned.
- Let cool for ten minutes, and then enjoy!
Have the most wonderful weekend!
B