Monkey makes excellent English Apple Crumble!

Click here for the cutest recipe presentation I've seen. Take the monkey's word for it: I baked an apple crumble pie according to its instructions for my husband's (that is, Huichieh's) birthday, and he loved it! Apple crumble is certainly one of the easiest to prepare, and one of the most comforting, foods I know. Monkey suggests 3 tablespoons of sugar, but I prefer 2.5, or even just 2, if the apples are very sweet and you're planning to eat the crumble with ice cream anyway (as Huichieh likes to do!). To further cut down on the sugar and also fat content, use a good sugar alternative like Splenda and substitute butter with margarine or "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" which supposedly contains even less fat than standard margarine. A sprinkling of cinnamon powder, a small handful of raisins (added to the top of the apples last) and a tablespoon of lemon juice add more flavour, texture and zest to this wonderful pie.

Note on the oven: If your oven is often uncooperatively hot and not too conducive to optimal browning, cover the pie with aluminium foil or with a Pyrex dish cover after about 15-20 minutes when you see that the crust is already a nice golden brown while the apples continue to soften.