Apple crumble, barbecued not baked, with extra crunchy crumble on the side!
The other day, I bought two cases (34 kg/ 74 lbs!!!) of apples from a friendly and chipper looking French farmer who stopped by the house. Don’t ask… I have more apples at the moment than I know what to do with. We’re eating apples, and only apples, for the foreseeable future! We had friends over for lunch last weekend, so apple crumble it was for dessert - but with a twist. As the barbecue was still hot, I grilled the apples and made the crumble separately so that it would stay nice and crunchy.
Serve the piping hot apples with crumbles strewn on top, and a generous scoop of ice cream to melt into the nooks and crannies. For a tipsy adult version, you can add ‘gravy’ aka calvados or Grand Marnier at the end! xoxo Kirsty
Grilled Apples with Crunchy Crumble (serves 8)
For the crunchy crumble topping:
1-3/4 cup (225g) flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or a bit less fine sea salt
3/4 cup (150g) demerera or turbinado sugar. You can also use brown sugar, but the coarser sugars are better here.
1/2 cup (50g) rolled oats
1/2 cup (50g) ground almonds (optional)
3/4 cup (170g) cold butter, unsalted and cubed
For the grilled apples:
10 firm apples, sliced, peeling is optional. I used Pink Lady, but Fuji or Honeycrisp would be good too,
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup (60g) butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup (2 fl.oz./ 60ml) Calvados or Grand Marnier
You can make the crumble a day or two ahead and store in an airtight container.
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, salt, sugar, oats and almonds in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and rub with your fingers until it resembles wet sand. Alternatively, pulse the mixture in a food processor until it has the texture of wet sand. Press the mixture together with your hands to form larger clumps, then crumble them onto the baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until fragrant and golden. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Slice the apples and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg over apples, combine with your hands.
Put the apples in a large cast iron pan, divide the butter pieces over the apples. Cover tightly with foil and poke a few holes in the foil with a fork. Place on a medium hot grill (around 400F/200C) and allow to bake for 20-25 minutes until soft.
If you’re making it tipsy, add the Calvados to the hot apples and stir through before serving. Serve hot, with crunchy crumble and heaps of ice cream.
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