I started making this Apple Crumble Slice 3 hours before dinner. I actually felt like baking today, which can sometimes be a rare occurance, especially in this busy Egyptian hotel kitchen. I had to start after the lunch rush and before the dinner rush, so i had about 2 hours before the chefs would come back into the kitchen.
I actually like the way this slice turned out, for the fact of having very limiated ingredients and limiated time as well.
I had 4 large red apples, which the egyptians call "American Apples" to cook with today, they were sitting in the office, which is a good thing, because if they had started in the kitchen, then the boys would of gobbled them up before i would of gotten a chance to cook.
The base of the slice looked wonderful in the cooking process, but left something to be desired in the actually taste. I believe i may have added a little bit too much flour and not enough sugar to even the taste out, cos the dough tasted floury a little. but it rolled out nicely, and baked nicely, so no complaints there.
Cooking the apple filling was easy as can be, and tasted great. I found the Lemon and Orange zest and juice to be a nice touch. as well as the sultanas. In the end i found i had too much base and not enough apple filling to fill it all nicely, so next time i may add another apple. I had to take care not to cook the apples to quickly, but whilest i was cooking the apples and baking the base of my slice, the gas run out to the oven. lucky the apples were already done, sadly though i dont believe the base was all the way though, that could be why it isn sitting well in my stomach right now, (note: make sure the base is cooked properly next time).
I made the crumble mixture out of the off cuts of the base, with extra flour, sugar and vanilla powder. This turned out great, very tastey! But ofcourse i needed the grill to brown the top of the crumble, and the oven had no gas, which required me using my bad arabic to explain to the chef that the gas had run out, in the end i had to show him by turning on the very light flickering stove top before he understode. And 5mins later i was finally back on track, smacked the tray into the oven and dumbly enough left one of the boys to watch it, so the sultanas on top where a little burnt, no biggy.
All in all, a wonderful first atempt.
Tips: I have to stay, if i had the resources, this would be wonderful with brown sugar in the base and used in the crumble top, and served with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream! Also nutmeg would taste great in this slice.
Ingredients:
Base
- 2 1/4 cups plain Flour
- 1 cup raw(or brown) Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ginger
- 3 large tablespoons Butter
- 5 tablespoons cold water
- 4 large apples
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 1 medium Oragne
- 1 medium Lemon
- vanilla essance
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 1 cup Sultanas
- the off cuts of the base
- 1/2 cup sugar (brown or castor)
- Vanilla powder
- Extra Flour (if needed)
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, butter and flour the sides of a large baking tray. Mix flour, butter, sugar and spices together with your fingertips, to form a crumb substance. Add water to the mixture, using hands mix until dough, adding more water if needed.
2. Keeping the dough in the bowl, place into fridge to cool. When cooled roll out to fit the tray. keeping the off cuts for the crumble topping. Bake the base for 20 mins.
3. Peel, core and slice the apples. Place into a pot, with zest and juice of the orange and lemon, sugar, vanilla, sultanas and water. Cook until the apples are soft and browned slightly.
4. Pour mixture into baked base and spread out to all corners.
5. Mix the off cuts, flour, sugar and vanilla together, rubbing between the fingers again, to form a crumbly mixture. Spread topping out on top of apple filling and using the grill, cook until brown on top, about 5-10mins. If no grill, use oven to bake for another 20mins or so.
6. serve warm or cold, with cream or icecream.
