The Big Apple Crumble

For years I have fantasised about following the puritans, Italians, and hungry Irish over the North Atlantic in search of liberty, large portions, and more currently Amber Heard and medicinal marijuana to cure my lust and toothache respectively. So it was with gusto and anticipation that I barged onto the plane at Heathrow last week to embark on my first notable journey to the US of A (Disney World and Minneapolis don’t count in my mind, although Epcot was pretty informative and ‘The Mall of America’ is surely something to behold).

We arrived at Newark airport around lunchtime and after explaining my reasons for entering the land of opportunity to the surprisingly amiable customs official, we were on our way.

New York city is a phenomenal place, far more exciting than Old York that’s for sure, not that the Shambles are without charm and York Minster an eye sore, but ‘le grand pomme’ is truly a city that never sleeps. As ethnically diverse as London but all crammed into the relatively small Manhattan Island, the city has an energy which is truly unlike anywhere on earth, and because of its aquatic limits in the Hudson and East River’s the only way is up, and up they went. I spent a great deal of the week bumping into people as I craned my neck in a vain attempt to take everything in; The Rockefeller Centre, The Empire State, The Flatiron, the replacement building adjacent to the incredibly moving and tasteful World Trade memorial. We walked for days around the various districts, taking in NoLita, the Lower East Side, Midtown, the super trendy Meatpacking district (see Standard Hotel for ping pong and bratwurst), visited Lady Liberty and Ellis Island, and even managed to squeeze in the Flight of the Concords walking tour. New York is all you could possibly imagine and much, much more.

Now to the real reason I was there, dressed in tweed and being very English: the wedding of my girlfriends’ cousin Emmy to her fiancé David. I have only had the pleasure of attending one wedding before so have very little to compare my experience to, however I fear henceforth and forthwith I may be let down by every one I ever go to. The bar has well and truly been raised, nay, hoisted into the stratosphere by the incredible food, venue, scotch, music, people, family, wine, scotch, cocktails, setting, angels on horseback, church, scotch. I could go on, but instead I shall merely close by saying thank you very much for having me to the wonderful Maynes family, cheers Uncle Rich for the spread, and I wish all the very best to Mr and Mrs David Wardrop for the future.

U S A . U S A . U S A . U S A . U S A

P.s. I’ll see you in Cali Andy, gotta come get my meds.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

150g caster sugar

150g salted butter, room temperature, small cubes

150g plain flour

4 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges

1 tablespoon Demerara sugar

2 tspns ground cinnamon

Crème fraiche to serve.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220ºC.

1. In a blender whiz the butter, flour and caster sugar so it takes on the appearance of breadcrumbs.

2. Place the apple wedges in an ovenproof pie dish, sprinkle with the Demerara sugar and cinnamon evenly. Pour the blended mixture over the top and put in the over for 35 / 40 minutes until lightly browned, serve with crème fraiche.