I made this crumble on Saturday, but due to an unfortunate mountain biking accident on Sunday morning and an otherwise busy holiday weekend, I'm only just now getting a chance to blog about it. Saturday evening we had our good friends Drew, Lori, Paul, and Victoria over for dinner. It was a bittersweet meal as we said goodbye to Drew and Lori, who have moved away. I didn't want to spend the entire evening cooking a meal devoted to this blog, so I pulled out a couple favorites: Chicken Français and Romaine Salad with Pears, Goat Cheese, and Candied Walnuts. But I couldn't resist trying out at least one new recipe, so I decided it would be dessert. I really wanted to make something with fruit because there are so many delicious fruits in season right now. Oddly enough, when I turned to Patrick to help me decide, he selected a recipe with apples, which are available pretty much year round, and cranberries, which I had to get in the freezer section since they are a fall fruit. Oh well, I guess that just means I'll be making something more seasonal very soon. When I started mixing everything together, it dawned on me that the recipe didn't call for any spices. This concerned me greatly because I've never had an apple dessert that didn't involve cinnamon and/or nutmeg. I contemplated adding some, but decided to trust my beloved Cooking Light Complete Cookbook. It turned out that there was nothing to worry about. The crumble was fantastic, and I didn't think it needed any spices. I modified just a tad--I substituted some oatmeal in the topping. The result would have been more noticeable had I not used the food processor to make the topping and pulverized the oatmeal. Next time I will definitely use my pastry blender. I used Granny Smith apples because I think the tartness of the apples balances the sugar really well. A sweeter variety just makes the whole thing too sweet. I served it with vanilla frozen yogurt, and it was perfect.
On a side note, my darling husband built me a light box. I've been complaining about how difficult the lighting is in our kitchen and shamelessly declaring that I need a digital SLR camera. He's finally agreed that we can get one for Christmas this year, but in the meantime, he's been researching solutions to help me battle my lighting issues. The light box is great. It really only helps with the finished dish because I can't very well put a hot skillet in there, but I definitely appreciate the thought and effort that went into making it. I'm going to start experimenting with different backgrounds because the plain white doesn't quite do it for me.
Cranberry and Apple Crumble
- 1/4 C all-purpose flour
- 1/4 C old fashion oatmeal
- 1/4 C granulated sugar
- 1/4 C packed brown sugar
- 1/4 C chilled butter, cut into small pieces
- 6 C apples, peeled and sliced thin
- 1 C cranberries
- 1/3 C orange juice
- 2 Tbs granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs cornstarch
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine flour, oatmeal, 1/4 C granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Combine apple and cranberries in a large bowl.
Combine juice, 2 Tbs granulated sugar, and cornstarch.
Pour over apple mixture. Toss well.
Spoon apple mixture into a 2-quart baking dish.
Sprinkle with flour mixture.
Bake for 40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
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