Once again the season gave us the inspiration and resources to make something delicious. In this case it was a bounty of apples captured just prior to a herd of Elk visiting our side yard and literally climbing the branches to eat the rest. But that’s ok because they were here before us and we nabbed just enough to make this delicious dessert from Samantha Seneviratne in NY Times Cooking. A slower cook at a lower temperature helps make this moist and flavorful and it can be served warm (with ice cream) or at room temperature.
For this you’ll need: about 8 large apples (Granny Smith or similar; peeled, cored and cut into 1/4″ slices), 12 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted; plus extra for buttering the pan), 1-1/2 cups flour, 1-1/2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 to 1 cup walnuts (shelled and crushed), 1/2 to 1 cup almonds (roasted, crushed), 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 Tbsp lemon juice.
Preheat the oven to 350 and use an extra pat of butter to grease a 9 x 12 baking pan all over – sides, bottom, etc. Be generous as it only adds to the flavor.
Gently crush the nuts with a rolling pin or hammer so that they are still chunky but not dust. In a small pot melt the butter.
In a large bowl combine the crushed nuts, flour, 1 cup brown sugar, oats and salt with a large fork. Add the melted butter and mix together, still using the fork, to create a saturated and lumpy mixture.
Peel and core the apples and slice them into 1/4″ pieces. Place them into a large bowl and add the lemon juice, 1/2 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Using your hands, toss all the apple pieces together so that everything is coated. Place them evenly in the greased baking tray and add the lumpy crumble over the top – creating some larger “lumps” using your hands or a spoon as you go.
Place the tray into the preheated oven and cook until bubbling at the edges – about 50 mins to 1 hour.
Serve warm with ice cream or let stand to get to room temperature and the flavors will infuse even more.
Dinner at Our Place 