Take 4 large Granny Smith apples and 3-4 other large apples of mixed varieties. Peel them, then cut around the core and slice about 1/4-1/2 inch slices. Place in a 3 quart baking dish.
Now preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together:
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- juice and zest of 1 unwaxed lemon (I recommend a microplane to zest with)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- dash of salt
- 2 Tbsp white rice flour (or wheat flour for gluten eaters out there)
- dash of ground nutmeg and dash of ground cloves
Pour this mixture over the apples and use your hands to blend them all up. Get a little dirty.
Now prepare the crumble. In a medium large bowl, mix together:
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups gluten free oats such as Bob's Red Mill (or any regular oats for gluten eaters)
- 1/2 cup white rice flour (or regular flour for gluten eaters)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2/3-3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 to 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
Now cut in or mix in with your fingers:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Now melt 6 T butter in the microwave. Try 30 sec. then stir and another 30 sec. Stir in 3 Tbsp real maple syrup. Pour this over the crumble topping ingredients and stir well with a spoon or mix with your hands. Use your hands to spread the topping over the apples. Put on a baking tray and place in oven for about 1 hr 10 minutes, checking after 1 hr, or until nicely golden.
Serve with a little half and half, cream or vanilla ice cream, preferable while still warm but not too hot. I know it's hard to wait. What I always do is take some out of the dish right away and put it in a bowl to let it cool down faster. Then after just a few minutes or so I can dig in.
