Food Photo of the Day ~ Summer Fruit Crumble

Over the past few days the snow fell on E-town nonstop. Regardless of how beautifully pristine white everything became, thoughts of summer ran through our heads. Remembering all the fresh fruit I had stashed away in the freezer I decided to make a summer fruit crumble; which consisted of rhubarb, blackberries, strawberry, blueberries and of course, I added some fresh apples. Summer was in our thoughts and in our stomachs very comfortably as the snow gently fell outside. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! -  JD     

French Apple Pie

What makes an apple pie a French apple pie? Simply, it is the topping. Traditionally fruit pies have flaky pastry tops not a buttery sugar crumble one. Since this topping does consist of brown sugar I tend to make the apple filling more spicy apple then a sugary sweet apple filling. It creates a fine balance between comforting spice and just a touch of sweetness. Make your favourite apple pie or fruit pie recipe however try this on top.

French Apple Pie Crumb Topping   (for a 9" pie) 

----------------------------------------------------------
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup all purpose flour 
1/2 cup rolled oats (optional)

Mix all ingredients together until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of filled pie. Bake at 400ºF for 45 to 55 minutes. Serve warm. 

Notes: I add about 1/2 cup of quick cooking oats to the crumble topping. To add a bit of a Canadian flavour you can toss the apple filling in some maple syrup along with whatever spices you may use: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, nutmeg... etc. 

My Week In Food

This week was the return of the banana bread. However this was not my usual late night baking but rather a rainy day baking. Rain plus baking equals smiling faces.  

The watercress soup hit the spot! Packed with vitamins this was the best side dish other than the usual salad. 

This was my take on a greek salad, Italian style! Loads of tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, red pepper and mozzarella cheese. All tossed in a homemade herbed dressing. 

Hummus is a staple in our household. Even when I go out to restaurants I eye and order this perfect appetizer for sharing. I roasted the chickpeas before blending everything together. 

And the ever bottomless pan of crumble. This time I made an apple, blueberry and strawberry crumble. Not as sweet as the rhubarb crumble. Probably because I added less sugar however still sweet and tangy and disappeared quite quickly! 

 Well these have been the highlights of another busy week. Only one week to go before I am off on vacation. Have a great weekend! - JW