crumble

Apple Slab Pie with Crumb Topping

By in Fruit, Pastries, Sweets, Thanksgiving 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Apple Slab Pie with Crumb Topping

Thanksgiving just wouldn”t be the same without pies and tarts. Especially pumpkin pie. But, not everyone”s a huge fan of pumpkin pie so it”s always good to have another option to share. Apple pie is a favourite in our house. If we”ve got an abundance of apples, Apple Pie or Apple Crisp must be made!

This pie is a little different from the norm for several reasons. It”s baked on a sheet pan instead of in a pie plate, it”s got a delicious crumble topping, featuring pecans, and it feeds a crowd without the work of making several pies at once. I think it would be the perfect addition to the Thanksgiving table. It”s like an apple pie, tart and crisp all in one. And, it can easily be eaten out of hand, which means less dirty dishes – bonus!

If you”re not feeding a crowd you can always freeze the extras between parchment paper and just take out as many as you need at a time, to thaw. I prefer to heat them up in the microwave or oven for a bit, because nothing beats warm apple pie.

I would venture to say this recipe is even easier to make then a regular apple pie because of the crumb topping and since the effort of one pie makes so many servings. And, it”s just so extremely delicious that I know I”ll be making it often over the coming months.

Apple Slab Pie with Crumb Topping

Pie Crust

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2/3 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

  • 8 – 10 tablespoons cold water

Apple Filling

  • 2/3 cup sugar

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 3 1/2 pounds tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (or 10 cups sliced)

Crumb Topping

  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes

  • 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

To Make Pie Crust: Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Toss in the butter cubes and, using your fingers, quickly break up the clumps, rubbing together with flour, until the butter is in pea sized amounts and mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or cut in with a pastry blender). Sprinkle water over flour mixture 1 tablespoons at a time; gently toss with a fork, until all of the flour mixture is moistened. Gently knead the dough just until a ball forms.

Roll out the dough to approximately a 17×12 inch rectangle, on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper. Transfer to a 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Patch any corners that don”t reach the edges of the pan, with any overhanging dough. Roll edges under and press down onto the rim of the baking sheet. Trim off excess parchment paper. Refrigerate while you make filling.

To Make Filling:  Toss together all ingredient, in a large bowl, until apples are evenly coated. Pour into dough-lined pan, spreading evenly. Refrigerate while you make the crumb topping.

To Make Crumb Topping: Stir together oats, brown sugar, and flour until well combined. Using your fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chopped pecans. Sprinkle evenly over apple filling.

To Bake: Bake at 375ºF for 45-60 minutes, until filling is bubbly near the centre and crust is browned. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

To store: Once completely cool, cover and keep at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerate for up to 3 days (bring up to room temperature to serve). Freeze for longer storage.

Makes: 20-25 servings

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens.

Fig “Newton” Crumble Bars

By in Cookies & Bars, Snacks, Sweets 11 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Fig “Newton” Crumble Bars

First off I want to thank all of those who filled out my survey last week. I loved hearing from all of you and your encouraging words and comments have inspired me. Gave me the little kick in the butt that I needed. :) This blog is purely a hobby for me at this stage in my life. But, I like knowing that I”m making a difference somewhere so hearing from you helps me to know where to focus my sights.

When asked what type of posts you”d like to see more of in 2011 there was one shining star: “Home-made versions of store bought products”. This makes me happy because it”s something I love experimenting with.

When you move to a foreign country many of the conveniences that were once commonplace become nearly impossible to find. In a way I”m glad because it has made me eat a lot healthier. And, now that I”ve discovered how much fun and satisfying it is to create versions of those things at home, I”ve gotten a little hooked.

One thing I have yet to see here is Fig Newtons. Oh how I love them. They always remind me of my dad because he was always the one who bought them in my house growing up.

And, I”m a typical pregnant lady. I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and stuff something in my face.

When I had Max that was magnified in a major way once I started nursing. I lived on granola bars in the middle of the night during his first months of life, that or a heaping spoonful of peanut butter. Whatever would stop my grumbling stomach so I could go back to sleep!

I”ve been in search of some “healthier” mid-night nibbles since granola bars are all but non-existent in Norway. I feel pretty good about these Fig “Newton” Crumble Bars because not only do they taste remarkably like fig newtons but they”re less sweet then a cookie, can be scarfed down in a jiffy, contain the healthy properties of dried figs ;) and are pretty much impossible for me to get sick of.

I think I”m going to whip up another batch and store them in the freezer because in approximately four more weeks I”m going to be eating them all night long. :)

One Year Ago: Tangy Raspberry Smoothie

Fig “Newton” Crumble Bars

adapted from Martha Stewart

Crust

  • 2 cups flour, fluffed or sifted before measuring

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 3/4 cup cold butter, cubed

  1. Place flour and sugar in food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Place in a large bowl and squish with fingers to create lumps and ensure it sticks together.

*It”s important to fluff the flour before measuring or the mixture may be too floury to stick together.

Filling

  • 8 ounces (1.5 cups) dried figs, stems removed

  • 3/4 cup apple juice

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 tablespoons flour

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

  1. Wipe out food processor. Roughly chop figs and place in food processor. Add remaining ingredients. Process until smooth and pasty.

Assembly

  1. Spray an 8 inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment with two edges overhanging. Spray again with cooking spray.

  2. Press 1/2 (or more) of crumble mixture firmly into bottom of pan. Save remainder for later.

  3. Spread filling evenly onto bottom crust. Sprinkle on remaining crumble topping.

  4. Bake at 375ºF for 50-60 minutes until topping is golden. Allow to cool completely. Loosen sides with a sharp knife and lift out using the parchment paper that is overhanging. Slice into 16 squares.

  5. Store covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze.

Makes: 16 servings

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Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie (video)

By in Fruit, Pastries, Sweets 8 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Last week I was feeling good enough to break my six weeks of baking silence. Let me tell you, it felt wonderful! My poor hubby has been deprived of homemade goods for so long that he was almost giddy when he found out I was actually going to bake him a pie (and one of his favourites at that!). So giddy in fact, that he decided to capture the process on film. He did such a good job of capturing why I love to bake.

James and I love pie so much that we had it at our wedding instead of cake. Our mothers went through lot’s of work that summer making and freezing pies for the big day. Strawberry Rhubarb was definitely one that we requested be on the menu.

This recipe is a little bit different then your average Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. The obvious reason being that it has a crumble, which makes it that much more of a breeze if you have frozen pie shells in your freezer. The other reason is that the filling is infused with the flavours of cinnamon and ginger. They give such a warmth and richness to the pie. I think I may need to make another soon.

It feels good to be back!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie

adapted from Sugar

  • 1-9″ unbaked pie crust
  • 4 cups rhubarb (fresh or frozen), chopped
  • 2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • dash salt
  • crumble topping *recipe below
  1. Toss rhubarb, strawberries, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a bowl until well combined. Pour into pie shell. Cover with crumble topping. Bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes then lower the heat to 350ºF and bake for an additional 40 minutes until crust and crumble is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Crumble Topping
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  1. Mix together all ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over pie.

Serves: 6-8

* I used this recipe for the crust. It has been my go to for years. Except I make it with butter instead of shortening and I froze the other half for another day.

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