Animals Australia: the voice for animals

Animals Australia: the voice for animals
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Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Apple Crumble

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting Individual Apple Crumbles from Queen of Tarts, Belgrave

Fifty years ago, Miss Eagle was a twelve year old schoolgirl attending St Mary's Convent School in Bowen at the northern end of the Whitsundays in North Queensland. Every two weeks, on a Thursday, Miss Eagle - along with the other girls in her Grade 7 class - would go to Bowen State School for domestic science classes. How did those nuns ever let us go - no prayers, no writing AMDG at the top of our exercise books. If Miss Eagle's memory serves her correctly, the very first thing we cooked was Apple Crumble. Miss Eagle notes that Apple Crumble, along with all sorts of fruit crumbles, are enjoying a revival in smart coffee shops in Melbourne. They are made as slices or individual puddings and have a biscuit pastry base: biscuit pastry in this case meaning a base made of crushed biscuits and melted shortening pressed into a pan with the filling then placed on top. The base is uncooked and, because of the shortening, it sets firmly in the refrigerator.

APPLE CRUMBLE
(the domestic science class recipe)
Ingredients: 6 cooking apples; 2 tabs sugar; 1/4 cup water; 3 cloves; 1/2 lemon; 1 oz. coconut; 3 oz. flour; pinch of salt; 2oz brown sugar; 1 oz butter; butter for top.
Method: Peel, core and slice apples into saucepan. Add water and cloves and bring to the boil. Cook till transparent (not pulpy). Remove cloves, add white sugar and lemon juice. Sift flour and salt into bow. Add brown sugar mix. Rub butter into dry ingredients until mixture is like sand. Add coconut. Place apples in a greased pie dish and sprinkle pastry mixture over. Place small quantities of butter on top. Bake till golden.
Miss Eagle's Notes
  • Granny Smith's are the apples to use
  • The coconut is dessicated coconut - that fine shredded coconut.
  • If you are attempting the coffee shop model of Apple Crumble, because of the biscuit base - which should be about a quarter of an inch thick - you can use less fruit.
  • Luscious served with boiled custard or thick or whipped cream.

3 comments:

Jen said...

I think Aussies make the best Apple Crumble, this looks scrumptious!

Denis Wilson said...

What about served warm but not hot, with the very finest (cold) Vanilla Ice cream on the side?
That's my favourite, closely followed by Rhubarb and Apple Crumble. Custard goes well with that one.

Unknown said...

jenjen, I'm sure that's becaue we have the Granny Smiths and, of course, you living in Sydney you are close to the very place where the Grannies came into being. And Denis, thank you for enlivening my tastebuds with the wonderful memory of warm Apple Crumble and the ice-cream melting as it cuddles up close. Now winter is so cold here at the moment can I really manage to eat ice-cream even if it is melting and sitting beside warm apple crumble.

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