Apple Crumble without the crumble!

I've been having trouble keeping up with my posts of late. There's a backlog of photos in my PC and some recipes I can't even remember. I've said this before and I'll keep saying it. Life gets in the way sometimes...

Time is always something that one never has enough off. Another thing that one can never get enough off is desserts! Just the other day, the kids asked The Lovely Wife if she could make them some Apple Crumble as she does make a mean Apple Crumble. She replied that Apple Crumble was only nice with Ice Cream and since both of them were having a little bit of a cough, The Lovely Wife said it wouldn't be such a good idea.

Now I have never equated Ice Cream with being bad for a cough or cold but I know a lot of people who subscribe to that thought that cold things are not good for coughs and colds. So no iced water, no cold drinks and no Ice Cream.

So rather than argue with The Lovely Wife, and risk giving the kids Ice Cream and finding that they DID get sick, I decided I'd just make them a dessert to enjoy after lunch. Apple Crumble without the Crumble!




I quickly pared and halved some Granny Smith apples and dusted them with a load of cinammon and brown sugar. I then left them to bake in the oven while I whizzed up some Caramel. As soon as the caramel was nice and amber, I pulled the pan out of the oven, poured the caramel over it and let the apples bake a little longer till they were nice and tender.

Ingredients
4 Granny Smith Apples - pared, cored and halved
2 tsps Cinammon
4 tsps Brown Sugar

5 Tbsp Castor Sugar
2 Tbsp water

Method
Coat the apples in the mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon. Place in a baking dish and bake in a 220C oven for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the caramel by heating the sugar and water till the mixture caramelises. Quickly remove the baking dish and pour the caramel over the apples. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or till apples are tender. Take care not to overbake or the apples will lose their shape and become mushy.

The kids were happy to have their dessert and they loved the caramel goodness over the tart taste of the apples. The cinnamon and sugar gave it a lovely aroma and taste as well while the juices from the apples mixed really well with the caramel.



I only regret not making more of this as the kids really, really enjoyed it. Best thing is, this would go really well with Ice Cream too. Maybe the next time when The Lovely Wife isn't around...or maybe I should just make sure they don't have a cough!