Apple treats to fall for

The crisp air and fallen leaves mark the season for warm, comforting foods. Many residents have an abundance of apples in their yards and are looking for ways to use them up. Here are two sweet treats from Whidbey food experts that pair perfectly with the season.

Gravenstein Apple Crumble

– Kathleen Floyd, Slow Food Whidbey

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Gravenstein apples (5 cups), peeled, cored and cut

into bite-sized chunks

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

For the topping

• ¾ cup flour

• ½ cup old-fashioned oats

• ½ cup brown sugar

• ½ cup chopped walnuts or almonds

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 stick butter, cold and cut into small cubes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Butter an 8 x 8 baking dish and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix apples, sugar, lemon juice and

cinnamon together.

4. Pour this mixture into the buttered baking dish. 5. In another bowl, combine flour, oats, nuts, sugar and salt for the topping. Mix together. 6. Put in cold cubes of butter last. With a pastry cutter (by hand) or with an electric mixer on low, mix the ingredients together slowly. The topping will have a crumbly appearance, almost like pebbles. When the butter is the size of peas, stop. 7. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples. 8. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the topping is golden and the apples are soft and bubbly. You will know the crumble is ready by the wonderful smell of baked Gravenstein apples in your kitchen. Serve warm, and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a truly divine dessert.