While shooting my show in New Zealand one fall, we became good friends with the neighbors, who had a small but plentiful orchard of sweet-tart macintosh apples. We came up with all kinds of neat ways to use them, including this cozy soup that everyone on the crew just loved. It tastes even better with vanilla ice cream.
Yield: 8 cups soup plus 1 cup crumble
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes
Prep Time: 35 Minutes
Ingredients:
Crumble Topping
- ¼ cup butter (softened)
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ½ cup unbleached white flour
- ½ cup quick oats
Soup
- 4 cups water
- 14 cups peeled, chopped apple (about 4 pounds)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 4 sticks cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
Instructions:
Crumble Topping
- Place all the ingredients in a 5-quart pot over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and take out the cinnamon sticks.
- Place 4 cups of the soup in a blender and blend until smooth. Return to the pot and stir through. Ladle into bowls, top with the crumble, and serve.
Soup
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Place the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a 3-quart bowl and combine well. Add the flour and mix thoroughly; then add the oats and combine until the mixture resembles coarse pebbles.
- Spread the mixture evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden, fragrant, and a bit crunchy. Meanwhile, prepare the soup.
