Apple Crumble

In the world of desserts, dishes with a crispy exterior and a juicy core have a separate fandom altogether. The iconic British Apple Crumble is one such fine blend of a crumbly streusel topping and jammy apple filling, that is sure to lighten up the mood on the gloomiest of days. Interestingly enough, the origin of this resplendent pie-hybrid stems from this acute sense of hope and human resilience amidst the impending doom of war.

The earliest mention of a possible recipe for the Apple Crumble dates back to 1924. But the modern preparation is believed to have originated in Britain when World War II was raging across Europe’s socio-political spectrum. The six long years of conflict is dubbed as the darkest chapter in modern human history. Economic enterprises, no matter how large or small, were closed till further notice, millions were left unemployed, innovation and technology stumbled upon the obstacle of a mad fetish for bloodshed, and practically the entire world came to a standstill.

With an accelerating inflation and a downward sliding capacity to ration food, people lost the access to even the most basic ingredients as food scarcity attained a nightmarish form. With limited supply of flour and sugar, exorbitant cakes and puddings became a luxury quite simply not affordable by the majority of British households. In these gloomy days, bringing a sigh of relief and a fleeting moment of joy, British housewives conjured the Apple Crumble as a replacement to the traditional pie or cake, among a host of other innovations, most of which have been lost in the unsettling times of a war-inflicted nation.

Ever since then, the Apple Crumble has been reimagined in diverse ways leading to variations in recipes that are all equally appealing. For instance, Apple Brown Betty is a modification to the Apple Crumble, made with layers of apple and buttered bread paired mostly with sauce. The Apple Cobbler, on the other hand, uses stewed apples topped with a thicker biscuit like batter. Some Apple Crumble recipes also employ leftover oats to achieve a coarser texture – another war-era improvisation to prevent wastage of any food whatsoever.

To make the Apple Crumble the traditional way, chopped deseeded apple cubes are sprinkled with sugar, ground cinnamon, lemon juice, ground nutmeg and whole wheat flour. In a separate bowl, cold butter cubes, sugar, vanilla extract, whole wheat flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt are thoroughly mixed till a breadcrumb texture is attained, which lends the streusel its typical crisp.

The apple mixture is laid down on a buttered baking pan topped by an even spread of the streusel mix and cooked till a rich golden coating is formed. The dessert is best enjoyed with a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of cold ice cream or a generous serving of custard.