Apple krummeltorte
Ready in 45 minutes Serves 6-8
PASTRY
100g butter
¾ cup caster sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2¼ cups self-raising flour
FILLING
3 apples, cored quartered and sliced thinly, or 1 can apple slices (550g)
3 Tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
Preheat oven to 200C regular bake or 190C fan bake.
Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy then beat in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour and mix to a firm dough. Press three-quarters of the pastry into the base of a loose-bottomed cake tin (22cm diameter), taking it 3-4cm up the side. Chill the remaining dough in the fridge while you prepare the apples.
Fill the raw pastry case with the apple (don’t worry if it comes higher than the level of the pastry). Mix sugar, cinnamon and cloves and sprinkle over the top. Crumble or coarsely grate the remaining pastry over the top.
Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
NOTE: This easy German apple crumble shortcake is one I come back to year after year. It’s such a reliable and delicious formula that works equally well served as a warm dessert or a portable cake for a picnic or shared meal. It’s also fabulous with feijoas, drain well if using stewed fruit.
Match this with ... Greenhough Apple Valley Nelson Riesling 2023 ($26)
Oh, Apple Valley, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I’ll flag going all Lizzie Barrett Browning on it (props to my poetry peeps), but I will say that the purity of apple, luscious lime, and heavenly honeysuckle flavours make it one of my favourite NZ rieslings. It’s also really hard to put the glass down, but that’s ok because it’s only 9.53 per cent alcohol. Plus there’s a sherbet-like zing in every sip, it’s crunchy and concentrated, and it bursts with banging natural sweetness balanced by racy acidity. Sourced from a tiny, north-facing vineyard on Apple Valley Rd (cutest road name ever) overlooking the Moutere estuary, it’s organically crafted by Andrew Greenhough (“Gren-off”, by the way), who, like me, recommends sipping it with synthheavy 80s power ballads and apple crumbles of all descriptions. greenhough.co.nz
— Yvonne Lorkin