Apple Crumble

Today I've been patiently working on my brioche! Finally, I've decided it was time to tackle a longer commitment project, and whew! Was it ever! With all the rising and slapping down the dough and refrigerating- and BEATING 3 sticks of butter into the batter by hand! But I have faith that it will turn out properly, so now that it's resting in the fridge overnight, I can tell you about the simple Apple Crumble I made today- my Aunt Beatrice's recipe, and the new addition to my kitchen.

Finally after years of lusting after this amazing device that is constantly being used on the Food Network , that simplifies bakers' lives SO much- we finally bought a Kitchen Aid Mixer!

It's a beautiful Artisan mixer, with 5-quart capacity. It is shiny and new and white and I have yet to use it even though I already took it out of the box and cleaned it way too thoroughly. :)

So now that my life is going to be so much easier with this beauty in my kitchen, I will definitely continue making loads of bread and delicious desserts. And for the Apple Crumble, it's quite a simple recipe, but really tasty. It was perfect for our 4th of July backyard BBQ with the family, and then watching the fireworks from our roof. The only thing that can sort of make or break this recipe is if you sautee the apples for too long because then they'll become kind of mushy and applesauce-like, when it's really SO much better when they still have a little crunch in them. I love Granny Smith's but any firm apple will do, or you can do half apple and half pear which is a yummy swap, or if you're feeling really adventurous-add in some raisins to the saute pan about 2 minutes before they're done.

Tante Bibiche's Apple Crumble

Ingredients:

• 5 large granny smith apples
• 40 grams of unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons of honey

Topping:

• 200 grams flour
• 100 grams butter
• 50 grams of minced almonds
• 50 grams granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Heat 40 grams butter in a pan and add the apples (peeled and cored, and diced into large chunks). Let them heat for a few minutes until they start to soften, and add the honey. Let them saute uncovered for about 5 more minutes, and transfer the apples to the baking dish.
3. For the crumble topping, mix the flour, almonds, and diced butter, still slightly firm, and rub between your hands until the texture becomes like coarse meal. (It will be very irregular). Add the sugar until the mixture is well incorporated and grainy.
4. Pour the crumble mixture over the apples, and bake for 25 minutes or until nicely golden brown.

I really hope you enjoy this simple and delicious recipe, and hope you had a great 4th!

Happy Baking!

Jessica