Cardamom & Fennel Seed Browned Butter Apple Crumble with Caramelised White Chocolate

★★★☆☆

Prep: 30 mins Cook: 45 mins Serves: 6-10

Ingredients

Apple Mixture:
5 medium to large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about 700-800g once prepared)
115g (½ cup) caster sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Pinch of sea salt
Cardamom & Fennel Seed Browned Butter Crumble:
250g salted butter, chopped into small, even-sized pieces
250g (2 cups) plain/all-purpose flour
100g (1 cup) rolled oats
150g (¾ cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, freshly roughly ground in a mortar and pestle
150g white chocolate, roughly chopped
To Serve:
Vanilla ice cream or fresh double cream

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
2. In a large flat baking dish, combine the sliced apples, caster sugar, vinegar, vanilla, and salt. Mix well and arrange the apple slices into an even layer. Set aside.
To brown the butter for the crumble topping:
3. Place the butter into a small saucepan over medium heat.
4. First, the butter will melt, then start to splatter as the water evaporates.
5. Keep stirring with a sturdy spatula or flat wooden spoon, scraping up any caramelised bits from the bottom of the pan.
6. The butter will become quiet and start foaming, indicating it's beginning to brown.
7. Keep an eye on it at this point as it can happen quickly.
8. Once it's foaming, continue stirring and scraping until the butter is deeply browned and aromatic.
9. When it's dark brown, remove from heat and pour into a small bowl, ensuring you include all the browned bits. Let cool.
10. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, ground cardamom, and fennel seeds.
11. Add the cooled browned butter and mix until just combined. Then, add the white chocolate and mix again to combine.
12. Scatter and clump the crumble mixture evenly over the apples in the baking dish.
13. Bake at 180°C/350°F for 45 minutes.
14. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.
15. Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh double cream.

Use a flat-based baking dish rather than a curved or deep baking dish for even cooking and caramelization of apples. Granny Smith apples are recommended for their tartness, which balances the sweetness of the crumble and white chocolate. Any tart variety of apple will work well. Slice apples as thinly and evenly as possible. A mandoline slicer can be helpful for uniform slices. Keep a close eye on the butter as it browns, as it can go from browned to burnt quickly. The browned bits add rich, nutty flavor. For gluten-free option, use gluten-free plain baking flour (1:1 replacement) and substitute flaked almonds for oats. Freshly ground fennel seeds provide more intense flavor. If no mortar and pestle available, use whole seeds. Use high-quality white chocolate and roughly chop for best melting and flavor pockets. Don't over-mix crumble topping - it should be clumpy for good texture. Top will look quite dark toward end of cooking - this is normal caramelization. Can be served warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in refrigerator up to 3 days. Apple cider vinegar adds subtle tang - lemon juice can substitute.

Wine Pairing: Dessert Wine