Apple and Cranberry Crumble With Maple Cream

Here’s another alternative to pie. It’s easier to make because it has no crust. As the name says, the topping is a simple mixture of flour, oats, sugar, pecans and butter, mixed with your fingers until crumbly and then scattered over the fruit filling.

The maple cream is made from equal parts whipped heavy cream and sour cream, sweetened with maple syrup. For the best sweet yet subtle flavor, be sure to use the real thing, not pancake syrup, which is made mostly from corn syrup and flavoring.

If you have fresh cranberries, you may use them instead of dried. You might want to add a few tablespoons of  sugar with the fresh cranberries, because dried cranberries are sweetened. You also could use small bits of candied ginger instead of dried ginger.

This recipe is from cookbook author/cooking school director Betty Rosbottom’s syndicated  “That’s Entertaining” column. Her many books include “American Favorites: All-American Cooking for a New Generation” (Houghton Mifflin, 1996) and the new “Sunday Soup” (Chronicle Books).

APPLE AND CRANBERRY CRUMBLE WITH MAPLE CREAM
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

6 large tart apples, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup rolled or quick-cooking oats (not instant)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced
Powdered sugar
Fresh mint sprigs, for optional garnish
Maple Whipped Cream (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex baking dish or an oven-to-table baking dish of similar size.
Peel and core apples, then cut into 1/2 inch-wide wedges. Cut wedges in half crosswise, and place in a large bowl. Add cinnamon and ginger. Toss apples well to coat with spices. Spread apples in dish and sprinkle cranberries on top. Mix cranberries and apples together so that cranberries are evenly distributed.
For topping, combine oats, flour, brown sugar and pecans in a medium bowl. Add diced butter and rub into dry ingredients using your fingertips, until mixture resembles pea-sized clumps. Scatter evenly over the fruit.
Bake, uncovered, until topping is crisp and golden brown and fruit beneath is hot, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove and cool 5 minutes. (Crumble can be prepared 4 hours ahead; leave at room temperature. Reheat in preheated 350 degree oven 15 minutes or longer.) Dust crumble with powdered sugar and serve with a bowl of Maple Cream. If desired, garnish center of crumble with mint springs.

MAPLE CREAM
Yield: 1 3/4 cups

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

With an electric mixer on high speed, whip cream until firm. Fold in sour cream. Gently whisk in maple syrup. Cream will be thick but as stiff as whipped cream. (Cream can be prepared 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate. Whisk gently before using.)

Photo by Betty Rosbottom.