Simple Simon's Apple Pieman

apple pieman with vanilla ice cream

This is the easiest fruit crumble to make. I like to use old apples that have seen better days, but any fruit will do. Just remember to cut them into even sized pieces. Berries would be great too. And all the better with ice cream on top! No one will guess that this a gluten free goodie. Bon Appetit.

cast of characters

Gluten free apple tarts in a bowl. Simple pieman pie.

• 6 large apples (or other fruit)
• 1-2 tbspn white sugar
• 1-2 tbspn brown sugar
• lots of cinnamon
• nutmeg

Peel apples. (see the peeler for simple pieman use). Chop into even chunks, about 1/2 inch. Drop in a bowl, and add the sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir and let rest.

A word about the peeler. It is genius. No more extra finger peels in the food! Safety first, and because I am a supreme klutz, this is the best peeler ever. It will do an apple in a few seconds because you can whiz around and get almost the whole peel in swoop. It's the little things, people, the little things, that count.

make the fruit chunks even

add the dry stuff

really cool peeler

Meanwhile mix up the topping.

• 1.5 cups of gluten free flour
• pinch of xanthan gum
• lots of cinnamon
• some nutmeg
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 8 plus 2 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

Using a food processer, dump the flour, xanthan, sugar and seasoning into the work bowl. Place the chuncks of butter around and into the flour carefully (don't get your fingers near the blade). Give it a couple of whirls until it looks like pebbles or large sand.

Alternatively, you can also do this by hand with a fork or a pastry blender. Dry ingredients first, then the butter. Don't overwork it. Just get it to the pebble looking stage.

pop all the topping stuff into the processor

add the cut up butter on top

whiz until it looks like cornmeal

Place the apple (or other fruit) chunks into oven safe bowls. Tap the bowls to settle the apples. Next, spoon the topping evenly on all the bowls and again, tap lightly to distribute. You want some of the topping to sink into the apple spaces. Make sure the top is covered pretty much - a few chunks sticking out are ok.

apples into the bowls first

topping is topped with butter & cinnamon

Add more cinnamon and nutmeg (optional at this point). Take a couple more tablespoons of very cold unsalted butter and chop into small pieces and place in the bowls.

Place the bowls on a large cookie sheet for easier handling. Bake at 375 for about 40-50 minutes. You want the top to look set and a bit brown and the apples to be thoroughly cooked. You can stick a knife into the apple mix to see if they are soft enough.

piping hot from the oven

If the top is cooking too quickly and the apples are not quite done, turn the oven to 350 and keep checking.

This makes as many servings as you wish. You can use big bowls, or smaller bowls, or add more apples.

Optional but there goes the simple pieman: nuts, raisins, other fruit.

Serve alone or with a big scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream.