Easy Apple Crumble

My son brought this recipe home from school many years ago. It was one of the foods he cooked as part of his food technology course. He liked it so much, he asked me to keep the recipe and make it again.

This recipe is so quick and easy to make. Pop it in the oven when you sit down for dinner, it’ll be ready to eat when you’re finished with the main course. 

Easy Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble

• Serves: 2
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cooking apples, small to medium 
• 2 X 15 ml spoonfuls granulated sugar 
• 100 gm plain flour 
• 50 gm butter 
• 50 gm granulated sugar 
• 2.5 mg ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 4/350F
2. Wash, core and slice apples. Place half the apples in a baking dish, sprinkle over with the 15 - 30 gm(1 - 2 tablespoons) sugar. Place other half of apples on top.
3. Sieve flour and cinnamon into a bowl.
4. Rub in butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs
5. Stir in 25 gm sugar
6. Sprinkle over the apples
7. Bake until topping is pale brown, about 25 - 35 minutes. Serve warm with custard or ice cream.

Blackberries would make a very nice addition to this simple crumble. Just add about 1/2 cup to the apple mixture, or sprinkle a few over the apples before sprinkling over the crumb mixture. 

Custard Powder

 I don't fiddle about making custard, I use Bird's Custard Powder to save time and hassle.  

Sticky Chocolate Pudding

This very English dessert came to me through my mother-in-law. I've seen several variations of this same recipe on the internet, but this ha to be my most favourite. It's not a treat for every day, but these little treats will never be turned away.

Best of all, you can freeze these in individual portions for up to 3 months. Then just take one or two out, thaw and heat in the oven. Make the toffee sauce on the day you want to eat these little gems.

Sticky Chocolate Pudding with a Mars Bar Sauce

Sticky Chocolate Pudding recipe

Ingredients:

Dates infusing with bicarbonate of soda

• 4 ounces stoned dates, chopped
  1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  1/2 pint water (10 fluid ounces)
  2 ounces butter, softened
  4 ounces castor sugar
  2 eggs, beaten
  5 ounces self-raising flour
  1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  3 ounces plain chocolate, melted
  4 ounces toffee, chopped

Method

• Preheat oven to 180C.
  
  Combine dates and bicarb with 1/2 pint water. Bring to a boil, then let stand for 10 minutes. Fill a

  

  Puddings cooking in bain marie

  roasting tin with 1 inch water and place in the oven. This creates a bain marie for cooking the puddings.
  
  Cream together butter and eggs. Sift flour and cocoa powder and gradually fold in to the egg/butter mixture. Fold in remaining ingredients, including the water.
  
  Divide into 6 moulds. Place in water in roasting tin. Bake 40 minutes, until set.
  
  Remove from the moulds, invert on a plate, pour the toffee sauce over the top, and serve hot.

Quick and Easy Toffee Sauce

2 Mars Bars (Milky Way bars)
1/2 pint double cream (whipping cream)

Chop up the candy bars into small pieces. Add to the cream in a pan and stir over a low heat until melted.

If you have a broiler/grill pan put the puddings under the grill for a few minutes until the sauce gets all bubbly and just begins to caramelise. Just invert them onto a tray that can be placed under the grill first.

English Apple Pie

I brought The Kansas Cookbook with me when I moved to the UK because I wanted to be able to share my Kansas heritage with my new family. The smell and taste of apples cooking conjure up visions of that idealised home and childhood everyone wishes he had. This recipe isn't to be found in any of my English cookbooks, but it most closely resembles an Eve's Pudding.

It will make its own crust, top and bottom, while baking. Serve it with thick cream, warm custard, or a rich vanilla ice cream. 

Old English Apple Pie

Serves: 12

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 40 - 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups tart cooking apples (I prefer Bramleys) cored, peeled, and chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Optional:

• 1/2 teaspooon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

OR

• 1 teaspoon mixed spice

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until thick and lemon colored. Add the sugar slowly and continue beating until well combined.
2. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat well. Add the apples, nuts, and spices, folding until all ingredients are completely mixed.
3. Pour the batter into 2 well-greased 9-inch pie plates or a well-greased 13 X 9 - inch baking dish. Bake at 350F/Gas Mark 4 for 40 to 45 minutes.

Find this recipe and other simple but delicious food recipes in The Kansas Cookbook, with over 400 recipes contributed by lifelong Kansas residents that reflect the State's history and ethnic diversity.

I have used my copy so much, the cover is now missing and the inner pages are dotted with splashes and splotches. That doesn't stop me from pulling it out when I want to make wholesome, inexpensive, and filling foods.

The Kansas Cookbook: Recipes from the Heartland