Apple crumble

Thanks Aida, kak Huda, and Faizah for coming over last Friday. It's great to have you guys. Aini, it's too bad you couldn't make it at the last minute, and hopefully we can meet soon.

Aida is too kind to allude to my so-called 'cooking skills'. The truth is, I can make a few dishes well, but only that few dishes. You'd be surprised to know that I lack confidence to make even some of the simpler dish for example sambal tumis or masak merah (cili giling/boh/kering rarely appear in my shopping list, perhaps twice a year). The good news is, I'm not done experimenting yet, so I'm hopeful that I can extend that list of dishes I can cook with confidence over time.

Here's the apple crumble recipe that I promised to share. I've tried a few recipes before but I found this one to be the easiest (important criteria). At first I thought boiling the apples first is a hassle because it's an extra cooking step, but it's actually better than having to bake the apples directly in the oven, which would take much longer.

This is the link, and should you lose this link it's very easy to google. Just use the keywords "perfect apple crumble" :)

7 large green apples

1/4 cup caster sugar* (I just use one tablespoon of sugar)

1 tsp cinnamon (ground)

1 cup plain flour

3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar* (I use ordinary white sugar and more importantly, HALVE it! Else it'll be too sweet)

3/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup coconut* (I used kelapa parut)

1 tbsp cinnamon (ground)

2 tsp nutmeg (ground)* (Omitted because ermm I couldn't be bothered to buy, kalau jumpa di hypermarket I'll buy)

2/3 cup butter (melted)

2 tsp vanilla essence

 *Modifications I made

Preparation method

 Prep: 45 minutes | Cook: 45 minutes

APPLE MIX

1. Peel and core apples, then cut into rough 1-2cm cubes. Place apples in large saucepan and cover with water. Simmer (but don't boil) covered with lid on med-high until apples are just tender but not too soft (usually 5mins once water is simmering). Drain apples well and place in large bowl 

2. Combine caster sugar and cinnamon (ensures even spread), then toss through the apples. If you like the apples to be less sweet and more tart you can omit the sugar in this step, though there may be excess juice as a result. 

CRUMBLE MIX

3. Combine flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, coconut, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl until evenly mixed through. 

4. Melt butter (do not burn or boil it) and add vanilla essence to butter, stir through. 

5. Add butter mix to dry ingredients and mix well using a fork. Ensure all ingredients are moist and mixture has a crumbly texture. 

BAKING 

6. Place apple mix evenly in medium casserole dish. Spread crumble mix over top of apple. Bake at 180 degrees C for 30-40 minutes, or until crumble topping is slightly browned. 

7. Serve with vanilla icecream, cream, or custard and ENJOY!

Before I bought the ground cinnamon powder, I would just either grind a bit of cinnamon sticks on the lesung, or put one or two sticks inside the pot when boiling the apple. Just don't forget to take out the cinnamon sticks before baking with crumble mix. I've tried putting some blueberry filling (konon-konon apple & blueberry crumble lah), but hubby prefers the plain apple version so that's that. I don't know how to make vanilla sauce or custard yet, so it has been vanilla ice-cream so far. Yummy! Aida, roast chicken next post pulak lah, ya.