Apple Crumble

Ingredients:

Topping
•1 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
•1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
•2 tbsp sugar
•1 large egg
•1 tsp vanilla
•1 3/4 cups all purpse flour
•1/4 tsp salt
•1/4 tsp baking powder
•1/4 tsp nutmeg

Fruit
•10 cups diced apple such as Granny Smith, Spy or Mutsu
•1/2 lemon, juiced
•1/3 cup sugar
•1 tsp cinnamon
•light brown or demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:
Topping
1.For topping, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg to combine. Add to butter mixture and combine just until blended. Wrap and chill while preparing fruit.

Fruit
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2.For fruit, toss diced apples with lemon juice in a 10-cup baking dish, then add sugar and cinnamon. Bake fruit for 30 minutes, then remove from oven. Grate crumble topping over apples using a cheese grater. Sprinkle crumble with brown or demerara sugar and return to oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until crumble is a rich golden brown and juices are bubbling. Serve warm with ice cream

Lemon Cupcakes Filled with Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest (or 1 tsp lemon extract)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
approx 1 1/2 cups lemon curd

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Adding the lemon zest early helps release more of its flavor. Blend in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla extract. Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk. Add another 1/3 of the flour and the remaining milk, then stir in the remaining flour, mixing only until no streaks of flour remain.

Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each approx 2/3 to 3/4 full.
Bake for 16-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

To fill, use a melon baller to scoop a small hole in the top of each muffin. Alternatively, you can use a small knife to carve a small cone of cake out. Fill the depression with 2 tsp lemon curd.
Serve shortly after filling. Unfilled cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container until ready to fill and serve.

Makes 24 cupcakes.


Light Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

1/3 cup strained, fresh lemon juice
2 tsp fresh lemon zest
5 tbsp sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, combine sugar and lemon juice. Add zest and stir until sugar is dissolved completely.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg. Whisking constantly (or with an electric mixer on low), very slowly stream the hot lemon-sugar syrup into the egg. Beat for 2 minutes (only 1 if you’re using a mixer), then transfer back into the saucepan by pouring the mixture through a sieve.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the curd just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Transfer to a small airtight container and store in the fridge.
Makes about 2/3 cup. Recipe can be doubled.