Are Apple Crumble Recipes the same as apple crisp recipes? That is a popular question and in my research I found the answer.
Crumbles began in England during the Second World War. They were born out of necessity when staples such as flour, sugar, and butter were at a premium.
I adapted this recipe from a base one that was popular just about the time of World War II. I find an apple crumble is quite different from American apple crisp in that it is more of a rustic dish, using whole meal, or what we call whole wheat flour.
This dessert is not quite as sweet as apple crisp, although this can be altered to suit one's taste. It is always served hot and topped with a chilled, thick, vanilla (or yellow, as it is sometimes called) custard sauce.
Now that we've dug into a little history, let's get going on the fun part...making one of the original apple crumble recipes and taste-testing the results.
Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an oven-proof, casserole dish, about 1-1/2 quart size, with non-stick cooking spray.
Peel, core, and slice apples into thick, uniform slices.
Place the apples, water and sugar into a large saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, until the apples are soft, using a knife or skewer to test.
Strain the juice from the apples and keep the juice for later.
Place the strained apples in the casserole dish.
Put the juice back into the saucepan and reduce it until the consistency is just slightly syrupy. Pour it over the apples.
I cut the butter up into small pieces because our original recipe said that "his Mum" made the topping by rubbing the butter into the flour.
Then, crumble the brown sugar into the bowl with the butter/flour mixture and stir it in slowly.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes.
As mentioned above, always serve hot, with plenty of thick yellow custard. I hope you enjoy this recipe from the past.
Original Recipe Source: Al Heffron, Editor "The Village of Euxton, Lancashire, England" - www.Euxton.com
Vanilla Custard Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Method
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, flour and salt.
Add the milk gradually, constantly stirring until the mixture is thick and bubbly.
Lower the heat and continue stirring for about 1 or 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and set aside for now.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, put your slightly beaten egg yolks. Add just a bit of the cream mixture to the egg yolks and stir it in; add a bit more, and stir it in. These first steps are to "temper" the eggs. If you just poured the entire hot mixture into the egg yolks, it would cook the eggs because you would be pouring a hot mixture into a cold one. Once the yolks have been tempered (or reach the same temperature as the cream mixture)just pour the rest of it into the bowl and mix thoroughly.
Return the mixture to the saucepan again and bring to a gentle boil for about 2 more minutes, adding in the butter and vanilla extract.
Don't worry...if you are lucky enough to have some of the wonderful homemade vanilla custard left over, it can be eaten as a pudding or used as a filling in cream puffs, etc.
If you love the British Apple Crumble Recipe, why not check out our
Quick Apple Crisp Recipe
some day when you're short on time.
Do you have an Apple Crumble Recipe that Everyone asks for? I hope you'll share it with us.
Does your apple crumble recipe come from a different country than Great Britain?
What a perfect way for us to try cuisine from other countries.
Please submit yours today...we're looking forward to giving your unique apple crumble recipe a try.
What Other Visitors Have Said ...
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Best Apple Crumble Recipe
4 large golden delicious apples (about 3 pounds) 1/4 cup white sugar juice of one lemon 2 Tbs. all-purpose white flour 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
