There is a particular kind of happiness that arrives with the first few days of fall.
The mornings are a little cooler. You reach for a sweater without thinking about it. The windows can finally be opened without turning the house into a sauna. There are apples at the market, the leaves are beginning to change, and suddenly dinner feels like something worth lingering over.
Fall has a way of helping us to find an excuse to make something warm and delicious.
We have nothing against pumpkin spice. But there are so many other flavors that deserve a place at the autumn table.
So this fall, we're going to explore some of them in a new Fall Flavors series here at Rosebury.
First up, the most divine: cardamom.
Cardamom is warm, fragrant and works wonderfully in desserts and baking. It works beautifully with apples and pears, and just a little goes a long way.
If you've never cooked with it before, this is a particularly easy recipe for you to try. Apple crumble is one of our favorite desserts because it is simple to make.
Apple Crumble
Serves 6
For the apples
- 6 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1.5cm (1/2" cubes
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
For the crumble topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Make it
1. Heat the oven to 350°F
Butter a 9-inch baking dish.
2. Prepare the apples.
Place the cubed apples in a large bowl. Add the sugar, lemon juice, cardamom, cinnamon, flour and salt. Toss until the apples are evenly coated.
Transfer them to the baking dish.
3. Make the crumble.
In a bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.
Add the cold butter and rub it into the mixture with your fingertips until you have a crumbly mixture with some larger pieces remaining.
4. Assemble.
Scatter the crumble evenly over the apples.
5. Bake.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden and the apples are bubbling around the edges. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
There is something particularly satisfying about recipes like this at the beginning of fall. Nothing complicated. No special equipment.
Just apples, butter, oats and a handful of spices turning into something that makes the kitchen smell wonderful.
Perhaps that's one of the best things about this time of year.
After a summer of cold drinks and meals eaten outside and trying to remember where you left the sunscreen, we're ready for things to slow down a little.
We're ready for soup simmering on the stove.
For warm desserts.
For long dinners.
For pulling a blanket over your lap while reading for ten minutes longer than you intended.
For setting the table just because dinner feels worth celebrating.
And perhaps that is what we're most looking forward to this fall.
This is just the first stop in our Fall Flavors series.
We'll be exploring some of the other ingredients that make this season so good.
There will be more baking.
And there will definitely be apples involved again. We can't promise otherwise.
For now, though, make the crumble. Put the kettle on.
And enjoy the fact that fall is almost here.
