It's Apple Season so Time to Make a Crumble

They say "when in Rome...." but here in the Mid-Atlantic at the height of apple season, it should be "when in autumn, bake apple desserts".  And that's what I've chosen to do after reading the current selection of the Cook the Books group, "Cooking with Fernet Branca" by James Hamilton-Patterson.  The quirky narrative chronicling the adventures of a lost soul living in Tuscany highlights the Italian bitters made with 27 herbs and roots whose aggressive flavor mimics bitter black licorice.  It's referenced throughout the book including dishes made with it, but only one or two recipes using the herbaceous drink are offered.

That being the case, I couldn't imagine what dish to make inspired by this book, until I took inspiration from the author's musings in the narrative, particularly one referencing tennis which caught my eye.  Talking about his stay at Munich's Hotel Rafael, the narrator says, "My suite would have made the Centre Court at Wimbledon look pokey".  Having attended Wimbledon and been at Centre Court myself, that was enough to draw me into the rest of that musing which features fruit.  He says, "When the words By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them, it popped into my head that St Matthew, the author of these words, had divided his time between being an Apostle and being a researcher for the Michelin Guide, for his observation is that of a seasoned traveller.  Whereas in most hotels the complimentary fruit basket contains the usual assortment of oranges, apples and flavor-free grapes, the one at this hotel was full of rambutans, mangoes, passion fruit and the fabled Nepalese persimmon". 

OK, the narrator Gerald wasn't being particularly complimentary to apples, but indeed the connection to apples had been made and I decided on an Apple Crumble as the dish to prepare to honor this book.

Most of us do not know that there are about 7,500 varies of apples in the world, with 2,500 of those native to the US.  What an abundance of choices!  Thankfully, when making a crumble, the choices are narrowed to crisp varieties and almost any type of crisp apple can be used.  Think Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Golden Delicious.  In addition, the dish benefits from mixing up the varieties in order to enjoy their differing textures and sweetness or tart tastes. I usually add one pear, peeled and diced. Incorporating granola into the standard oatmeal topping yields a crispness that oatmeal alone fails to provide and insures that crispness is retained for a few days longer.  As if the dish would last that long.

This is my contribution to the current Cook the Books round-up, hosted this cycle by the wonderful Simona of Briciole.  Many thanks to her for selecting this character-driven novel.  I can't wait to see what the others in the group prepare.

Apple Crumble

Ingredients:
12 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1 cup flour
½ cup almond flour
1 ½ cup brown sugar
1 cup brown sugar for the apples
½ cup dry oatmeal
½ granola of your choice
1 cup chopped almonds or a mix of almonds with walnuts and pecans
1 tsp salt
3 ½ cup mixed apples, peeled, cut into chunks (or use a mix of apples and pears)
1 tbs cinnamon
2 tbs lemon juice

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13x9 inch glass baking dish with Pam.  Set aside.

Prepare the apples and put into a medium bowl.  Add the 1 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice.  Stir to coat the apple chunks.  Put the apple mix into the baking dish, spreading the chunks into an even layer

In a medium bowl combine the flours, the 1 ½ cup brown sugar, oats, granola, almonds and salt.  Add the melted butter and stir with a fork till evenly moistened.   Using a large serving spoon, top the apples with the crumb mixture, pressing it into various size small clumps and making sure that the crumbs cover most all of the apples.

Put the dish into the oven and bake until the crumb topping is crisp and golden brown, about 50-60 minutes or longer depending on your preference for a deeply hued topping.  This dish can be served warm or set out at room temperature until one chooses to eat it.  I cover lightly with wax paper.