Tag Archives: gluten free apple desserts

slice of brown sugar apple pie

Brown Sugar Apple Pie

November 9, 2021

slice of brown sugar apple pie

We say the phrase ” as American as apple pie” when we want to convey authenticity. What does this mean to you and your family? Slab pie, double crust, streusel-topped? I love apple pie any old way, especially if topped with a nice scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.

Continue reading

Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes and Apples

october 18, 2017

brown sugar sweet potatoes and apples

It’s not the easiest thing to plan fall menus when the humidity and temperature are still elevated past September. The calendar, however, clearly shows autumn is in full swing and I am getting mentally prepared. Local summer produce has an inner time clock that tells production to halt making way for fall delights like squashes, sweet potatoes and hearty greens. There is change in the air. A stroll around my  local farm stand with beautiful rusty-dusty sweet potatoes and fragrant multi-hued apples tumbling from bins and boxes can bring back my inspiration every time this season of bounty rolls around. Continue reading

French Apple Pie

november 18, 2016

french apple pie

 

Thanksgiving is a little early this year. Are you cooking or being fed? Traditional pumpkin pie or something a little different? French apple pie, or apple pie with a powered sugar icing glaze, is a delicious old fashioned dessert relegated these days to cafeterias and Mom and Pop pie shops. It would be a great, and easy, addition to the Thanksgiving menu with its buttery cinnamon shortbread crust and tender apple filling. Use gluten free or all-purpose flour for equally perfect results.

Continue reading

Sour Cream Apple Crumble

october 10, 2014

sour cream apple crumble

 

Fondest memories of shopping roadside stands involve apples that grace markets with their myriad colors, aromas and levels of crisp-crunch.  Apple season in Virginia starts tentatively, with Ginger Gold and Piney River Gold fruits making their debut, followed by Honey Crisp and then the endless palettes of the reds.  Rome Beauty, Stayman Winesap, Red Delicious (nothing like the uber-polished tasteless pretties at the grocery stores), Empire and York, among others.

Which Apples are Best?

My favorite apple is any type one can incorporate into desserts.  So, really, any apple will do, although I profess a fondness for super crisp and slightly tart apples for eating out of hand.

The reds have arrived and I say let the dessert making begin in earnest. Continue this for as long as there are apples at the stands.

stayman apples at Berry's Produce

Stayman apples at Berry’s Produce in Hanover, Virginia

This crumble is like an upside down pie, with a cinnamon scented buttery crisp topping serving as our convoluted crust, and a sour cream custard, not too sweet, binding thin slices of twice cooked apples.  Cooking the apple slices with butter, sugar and cinnamon until tender before baking avoids the problem of apple pileup. In that scenario,  your stack of fruit lies so high in the pan you can’t avoid overflow and there’s no room for custard or topping.  I like walnuts in the crumble topping, but you can substitute pecans or almonds, or eliminate nuts altogether.

sour cream apple crumble ingredients

This dessert is easy, feeds a small crowd and may be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature (best, I think) or lightly warmed.  Crowning with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream or cinnamon dusted whipped cream will elevate it from homey simplicity to elegant comfort food.

 

sour cream apple crumble

recipe by Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company

makes ten to twelve servings

ingredients

2 ½ pounds apples, peeled, cored and cut in thin slices
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups sour cream, preferably full fat
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
crumble topping
1 cup all purpose or gluten free flour (see apple  cake with caramel glaze for my favorite homemade mix)
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup chopped walnuts
one stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

directions

  1. Melt butter in heavy large wide skillet over medium heat, add apples and stir gently to coat.
  2. Add one half cup sugar and stir to coat all slices  with sugar.
  3. Cover skillet, turn heat to medium low and cook, stirring gently once, until apples are softened but still hold their shape, about 7 minutes.
  4. Remove lid, turn heat to high and evaporate most of the liquid, until a light syrup coats apples, about 5 minutes; turn heat lower if needed to avoid scorching.
  5. Add one teaspoon cinnamon and stir gently to coat.
  6. Allow mixture to cool completely.
  7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  8. For sour cream custard, gently whisk eggs, sour cream, heavy cream, 3 tablespoons sugar and vanilla in small mixing bowl until blended.
  9. In larger mixing bowl, whisk flour, salt, cinnamon and brown sugar until combined, add walnuts and then work in butter bits with fingers until crumbly but some butter remains in tiny pieces.
  10. Butter 2 quart baking dish, add cooled apples, pour sour cream custard over apples and then top evenly with crumble topping.
  11. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until crumble appears puffed at edges and center no longer appears wobbly.
  12. Let settle at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving to allow custard to set.
  13. Serve at room temperature, chilled or lightly warmed.
  14. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.