ERNULF EDITORIAL
This, for any food teacher, sounds like a challenge!
With Halloween approaching quickly, we are preparing our fancy-dress outfits, practising our scary looking make up and getting ready to go out trick or treating. Well, at least, at any normal time we would be! Unfortunately, it may not be the best time to go out with our friends, knocking on welcoming doors and filling our plastic pumpkin carriers full of many sweet treats, making the most of the generosity of others. However, that is not to say that we cannot enjoy delicious sweet treats that this time of year should bring!
Halloween presents us with a reason (as if we need one!) to indulge in these sweet treats, at a time of year where the weather is getting worse and we all need some comfort food in our lives, whether that be chocolate or sweets, or sitting in front of your Pumpkin Lanterns eating Pumpkin Pie.
However, the sweet treat that I associate with Halloween is the classic Toffee Apple! I spent many a Halloween celebration bobbing for Toffee Apples made from the Apple tree in my Grandparents garden. The crisp, juicy Apples, which would then be coated in sticky, chewy Toffee and would then be used as competition with my friends and family, until we all got the Toffee apple we desired!
As time has gone on, and times have changed, I have developed this concept into something that for us all to share and enjoy. I present to you… the Toffee Apple Crumble.
Thin, crisp slices of Apple covered in sticky sweet toffee, and topped with buttery crumble topping. Once baked in the oven, I promise you that this is the Halloween treat that you will believe is “something good to eat”!
Challenge completed!
Mr Fowler
Teacher of Food & Nutrition
Trick or Treat, give me something good to eat!
Toffee Apple Crumble
Ingredients List:
For the filling
2-4 apples, dependant on size.
1 tsp, lemon juice
90g butter
90g brown sugar
250ml double cream
2tbsp golden syrup
Crumble topping
150g plain flour
25g sugar
75g butter
Method:
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Preheat your oven at 200oC.
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Firstly, make your filling. Peel and slice your apples into thin pieces, throwing the core and the skin away. Place the apple in a small bowl with lemon juice and water (until the apple is covered). This protects the apple from enzymic browning.
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In a saucepan, gently heat the cream in a saucepan until small bubbles appear. Add the sugar and butter and whisk until melted. Whisk in the syrup. Be careful that your heat is not too high, or else your toffee will be very bitter!
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Drain your apple and add to the sauce, mixing around and then place into the bottom of your oven dish.
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Now make your crumble. Add your flour, sugar and butter (as cold as possible) into a large mixing bowl. Use only your fingertips to rub the ingredients together, until you have fine breadcrumbs. You can check this by shaking the bowl from side to side – the bigger lumps will come to the top.
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Carefully sprinkle your breadcrumbs on top of your filling. Make sure you cover all of the filling.
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Place into your preheated ovens for 20-25 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown on top.