For a few years now, some friends and I have been gathering every couple of months or so for “Photo Night” potlucks whenever one of us returns from visiting a new or interesting place.  Each time, it’s a specific country-themed potluck.  Everyone brings a dish that hails from, or can be commonly found in, that country/region.

It’s a chance to get together and share photos and experiences from a recent trip that one of us took, while eating delicious food!  We always have lots of fun.  It’s also a great way to get vacation ideas and travel tips!  Our potluck themes have included Australia, Myanmar (Burma), Turkey, Romania, Nicaragua, Hawaii, Africa, Europe, New Zealand, Thailand…!

Last Sunday, it was Nova Scotia Night.  I was responsible for bringing dessert but I was stumped for ideas!  What’s Nova Scotian?!  A quick Google search led me to a website all about Nova Scotian dessert, and I soon realized that my task wasn’t going to be so hard after all.  It seemed that I could make just about anything – a tart, pie, cake, crepes, panna cotta, pavlova – as long as it features lots of apples or berries!  Given the historical ties, it was also not surprising to see traditional British desserts such as Eton Mess and Sticky Toffee Pudding included in this list.

I decided to make Apple Crumble.  It just seemed like the quintessential fall dessert and well, who doesn’t like warm apple crumble topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream or a generous drizzle of custard sauce?!  Yum!

APPLE CRUMBLE (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
5 Granny Smith apples (peeled, halved, cored and sliced to 1 cm thick)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons butter, softened

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease an 8×8″ baking dish.

2. Peel and cut up apples. Place apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon over the apples and toss to mix.

3. In another bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Rub with fingertips to break up large clumps, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4. Place apples in baking dish and spread crumble mixture evenly over apples. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

5. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with ice cream, whipped cream or custard sauce.