Lately, I can’t help but be wistful about the US. Maybe it’s because I’m going back in a month to spend Christmas, a trip that can’t come soon enough. Maybe it’s lingering euphoria from election day, an adrenaline-filled 24 hours of more giddiness and pride than I can remember. Or maybe it has just been too long.
Getting out of Beijing on weekend hiking trips has helped. Even though the foliage is nowhere near as breathtaking as, say, New England’s, I’m happy to enjoy fresher air, some much-needed exercise, and being surrounded by harvests. Once you get out to the villages there will always a slew of produce stands selling the latest fruits and vegetables, with cheaper prices and better quality than in Beijing.
And of course, apples are everywhere now. You can get a 5-kilo bag of slightly bruised apples for about 11 RMB, or $1.61. These are good for baking, though sometimes I’ll splurge on nice unblemished ones for a few RMB more.
The natural thing to bake for any nostalgia-struck American would be apple pie, but I’m what you would call a lazy baker. Apple crumbles, with no need for lattice tops or any other sort of crusts, take much less effort.
For these mini crumbles, I just cored the apples, cubed them, and simmered them for about 20 minutes to soften. Then I mixed in some sugar, spooned the fruit into ramekins, and topped them off with a mealy butter-flour topping laced with cinnamon and nutmeg.
During the 40 minutes of baking and about 30 minutes afterward your kitchen will smell like apple-lovers’ heaven. If baked apple aroma can help realtors sell houses, it can also help ward off my homesickness.
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More recipes for in-season apples:
Unfussy Apple Cake from 101 Cookbooks
Apple Butter from Simply Recipes
Apple, Raspberry, and Chocolate Clafoutis from La Tartine Gourmande
Maple-Apple Tartlets from The Recipe Girl
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Easy Apple Crumble
Serves 4
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into small cubes
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
11/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 tbsp. butter, chopped into pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium to large pan, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to boil. Simmer apple cubes in water until softened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in sugar until uniformly melted and well-combined. Transfer apple/sugar mixture to ramekins.
In a large bowl, combine flour, bown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Work butter into the mixture until it has a coarse mealy texture. Sprinkle topping over the apples. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Apple crisp/crumble is one of my comfort and “homesick for America” foods as well. I tend to use half oatmeal and half flour for the crumble top – it adds a bit of a crunchy texture. If you’re not allergic to nuts, broken pecans or walnuts on top can also be pretty yummy.
We’ll also be returning to the States shortly for the holidays – I’m excited to be there so soon after the elections!
I’m working on a recipe kind of similar to this, but it has dried cherries mixed in with the apples. Your photos are great; this looks very enticing!
beautiful apple crumble!!
I have to wonder why the apple cubes needed boiling. Won’t it get too soft and soggy? I normally just toss the sugar into the apples, along with maybe half a lemon or orange and a couple tablespoons of cornstarch and allow it to sit for 15-30 minutes to macerate. Then top with the crumble. The baking time is enough to soften and cook the fruit.
Rolled oats are wonderful combined with the crumble!
I’m with you on the pie crust laziness thing. I always whip up something similar when I feel like having baked apples.
Yes, I’m also wondering why is there a need for boiling the apples. I’m lazy too and in the past I just bake the apples with the other ingredients. What’s the difference in outcome? Thanks.