Rosewater Apple Crumble

This is a recipe from The Great Apple Orgy of 2012, which I photographed, consumed at an embarrassingly rapid pace, and never got around to posting (hormones, remember??). This clean, delicately-flavored dish stands out from all other apple desserts and their reliably delicious but equally predictable pairing with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, blah blah blah.

And unless you eat the entire thing yourself (which I may or may not have done), it's rather healthy, compared to the full-crusted tart original... not that that will matter as your dinner guests shovel forkfuls of this beaut in, eyes lolling back into their heads like feeding sharks. 

xxx,

j 

rosewater apple crumble

Adapted from Four Pounds Flour, who modified a 217-year old recipe from American Cookery by Amelia Simmons. 

Filling

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/2 lbs. (1.1kg) apples
• 2 tablespoons rosewater
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup Riesling (or another sweet, dry white wine)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch 

Crumble Topping

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup fine granulated white sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)

1. Slice apples and mix with sugar, cardamom, lemon juice and rosewater.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add apples, wine and cornstarch. Saute until apples begin to sizzle, then about five minutes more. They will be just tender, but still fairly firm. Let cool.

3. Prepare topping: combine flour, sugar, and salt. Rub butter into dry ingredients with your fingers until the mixture is uniformly crumbly.
4. Pour filling into pie plate or tart pan, and top with crumble topping.
5. Bake in an oven at 350F/165C/150fan for 45 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and the apples are soft.