The Teaspoon: Apple Streusel

by Diana

During many years Venezuela welcomed a significant number of immigrants that contributed to the extensive variety of colours and flavours that can be found today in our country, enhancing its beauty. In the late XIX century a colony of German immigrants, founded a small town in the mountains, called La Colonia Tovar. Nowadays its traditions are still preserved and if you go there, you could find not only the typical German houses but also -and even more important- traditional German food. There are many cafes and restaurants that serve from sausages, spaetzle and pork hock to exquisite cakes and puddings. Furthermore, its location in the mountains favours this tropical German town with a weather cold enough that allows the visitors to enjoy the smell of the smoke in the fireplaces, enriching even more the experience of traveling abroad inside the same country. My husband's favourite form of entertainment while visiting La Colonia Tovar was to go to Cafe Muhstall and to order Apple Streusel. In my ignorance I always thought that apple streusel was the equivalent to apple crumble, which I have made and he has accepted through the years -with inquisitive appraisals-. Only recently I have found out that although similar, the streusel is a different dish, which I adventured myself to make this week. This time he loved it!

I am risking everything here, trying out a german recipe without asking Julie's permision -my very German sister-in-law- I hope she'll be proud!

Ingredients

For the shortcrust (taken from Leiths Techniques Bible)

170 g all purpose flour

100 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 egg yolk, mied with 2 tablespoons ice-cold water

2 tablespoons caster sugar

For the crumble

200 g all-purpose flour

200 g Demerara sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

115 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

For the filling

600 g red apples (about 7 small apples), peeled, cored and cut into slices.

75 g caster sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon cornstarch

100 g raisins

1 lemon, juice only

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F.

Butter a 20 cm diameter round cake tin.

The first thing to do will be to make the shortcrust. In a bowl mix the caster sugar with the flour. Add the butter cubes and robe them using only your fingertips, until the mixture assembles breadcrumbs. Incorporate the egg yolk mixed with the ice-cold water and use a knife to integrate the mixture. Now use your fingertips again to bring the dough together.

Roll out the dough into a disc and place it in the bottom of the cake tin. Pinch it all over with a fork.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25 min. The shortcrust should look golden brown and slightly firm. Set aside.

Lower the heat of the oven to 190 C / 375 F.

To make the crumble combine in a bowl the flour, Demerara sugar, cinnamon and salt. Now add the butter cubes and use your fingertips to robe the ingredients until coarse crumbs are formed. Set aside.

To make the filling, mix the caster sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Place the apple slices, raisins and the juice of the lemon in a saucepan. Add the sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch mix. Combine the ingredients using a spoon and cook covered at medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.