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© Royalty-Free/Masterfile
This quintessential comfort dish is full of vitamin-rich fruit with a crunchy topping – brimming with flavourful calcium-rich toasted almonds.
10 medium-size apples
2 cups fresh or frozen sliced rhubarb, optional
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots, or currents
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup rolled oats, large flake, quick or minute
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup coarsely chopped whole almonds
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Peel, core and slice apples into 1/4-inch (0.5-cm) slices. You need about 6 cups (1.5 L) if you're using rhubarb too, or 8 cups (2 L) if using all apples. In a large bowl, stir sugar with flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in fresh and dried fruits and vanilla until evenly coated. Turn into an 8-inch (2-L) square baking dish. Gently press down fruit to level top.
In a bowl, stir oats with sugar and flour. Add butter and work with your fingers until clumpy. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake in centre of preheated 350F (180C) oven until filling bubbles around edges, from 50 to 60 minutes. If top browns before apples are tender, loosely lay foil over top and continue baking. Best on baking day, serve warm.