Apple Cider Crumble

 

 

How y'all been doin'?  You're probably thinking I fell off the face of the earth.  No, I didn't (obviously), or stopped cooking or ran off to Paris never to be heard from again, mais non!  (we can wish).  I've just been busy as a cat in a birdcage these past few months.  With vacations, baby showers and Halloween, there's hardly been time to do anything even though I thought about a lot of stuff I should have been doing...just didn't do it.  

A trip to Florida with The Best Husband in the World just made us want to stay there and that alone is not conducive to doing anything except sitting by the pool with a tiny, little beverage to while away the days soaking up sun and listening to the water.
 
With the upcoming granddaughter's arrival in January, we threw one heckuva Halloween-themed baby shower and that alone took weeks of preparation.  We don't do 'small' around here so our efforts were much impressed by those in attendance.  I made a fondant baby mummy cake (and unless you make your own fondant, it is hideous and gross-tasting but so pleased with my first effort even though we threw it away later!)  Decided before hubby tossed those faded pink flamingos, I should find the artist in me and make Skelingos and if I do say so, the Salvador Dali transformation was worth the effort.

We have just put away numerous crates of scary decor just in time to start pulling out yet even more numerous crates of holiday decor--a truly big ordeal in this gorgeous, old house.  So, bear with me while I get back in the saddle and start messing in the kitchen and doing those domestic holiday things we do around here.

When the last days of fall are quickly disappearing, it's time to put away the charcoal grill, swimsuit cover-ups and pool floats so we can focus on apples.  Forget about pumpkins--they're just too much trouble for me to bother with so we'll just skip the pumpkin pie recipes and move right on to apples.  The ones that crowd the shelves every day of the year just don't have the flavor like a good, crisp, fall apple that's been shipped from the north and somehow not turned to mush by the time it arrives in buffalo country.   I'm sure there are folks out here who have their own apple trees, but we aren't one of them.  Who am I kidding?  We couldn't get a darned cucumber or cantaloupe to grow this summer so fruit trees are out of the question.   I'm still picking tomatoes, however midgetious and scrawny.  Well, there I go again...drifting onto a whole 'nother topic of angst and disappointment. 

Now, if you don't normally put apples on the top of your fruit list as a favorite, well, me either. However, this easy, mostly kinda sorta low(er) calorie breakfast or dessert dish must be tried--and when I say lower calorie, you decide if a small portion will sit on your rear end or if you can get by with a bowlful of indulgence.   When I started making this, I was just going to make applesauce with the four apples sitting on the counter.  But, it seemed only natural to cook them in apple cider with some spices and just a teeny smidgeon of sugar and Stevia (because I always feel less guilty about adding sugar if I cut it with a natural sweetener).  When these started to cook down, I simply could not smoosh them into applesauce and decided some oats, brown sugar and butter with chopped pecans would be so much better.  I was right, of course.  The cider gave a whole new flavor to the apples.  It's done in half an hour and I'm betting you have everything you need right in your cabinets.  Ok, so we don't usually have apple cider sitting around either but it's easy to get your hands on this time of year.

I do wish we had some hard cider...the kind the Europeans and English have with a little kick and the 'Surprise!...you fell off your stool' kind of cider.  However, this recipe is stone, sober so feel free to serve it to your kids, grandmothers and any other non-imbibing acquaintances.

APPLE CIDER CRUMBLE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

4-5 apples for 3-4 small servings--any type apple except Delicious--they are sooo boring
cut apples in quarters, remove seeds and cut into chunks
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp Stevia or whatever measurement your natural sweetener calls for (honey would also work)
1.5-2 c Apple Cider
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp apple pie spice mix (or more cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger if you have some)

Mix all in medium saucepan, cook over medium heat covered for about 10 minutes, then remove cover and continue cooking until cider has reduced about half and apples are fork tender.  Set aside.

Mix 1/2 c steel cut or old-fashioned oats with
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c melted butter
Add 3/4 c chopped pecans

Put apples in 9" square (or approximate) glass or metal pan with a small amount of juice.  Save the remaining cider for a hot, toddy cup of yum.
Top apples with oat mixture, place in oven and cook for 20-30 minutes until top browns.

I'm bettin' Johnny Appleseed never had apples like these--delish.

Bon appletit'

Bonita Beach, Naples FL