22 Days Before Eid Al Fitr - Day 4

this project just keeps my mind busy. i have been browsing through my stack of cookbooks and i saw something easy and yet a first for me to make. oh and take note, i bought a 9 rial electric mixer just to establish that i am serious with this. hehehe. 


so i put my apron on (how i wish i had a pastry chef hat as well) then began my trial-&-error dessert. i love fruits a lot and since it is ramadhan, the only chance i can devour them is after the Maghrib Prayer hence got tons of fruits that are either over ripe or nearly stale. this dessert helped me out clear the ref's fruit container. so i grabbed 3 green apples and 2 pears. peeled them, skinned them off and removed the cores. then i sliced them into quarters and spread them all over a baking dish and sprinkled brown sugar and about 2 tablespoons of water. 


on top of that, my mom kept screaming from our living room area and has been asking me what am i cooking. i couldn't just spill the beans that it is my first time to make this dessert but too late, she saw the cookbook infront of the dining table. as expected, she started telling me to add this ingredient, that ingredient. typical mom. so i told her since she's done cooking for our main dish, why don't she just take it easy and let me take charge of this one. i knew she wanted to do more but she couldn't argue so she went back to the living room area and turned on her favorite filipino channel. 


where was i? oh yes, as the oven preheats, i covered the dish with foil and placed it inside the baking oven and timed it for about 10 minutes. as it sits there, oooh i was excited to unbox my first ever electric mixer. got the mixing bowl ready then placed the sugar, plain flour, unsalted butter and i thought i can be a little bolder by adding up a tablespoon of vanilla. as i turned on the electric mixer, i just felt like i was Rachael Ray. spare me, i can just dream of anything.


anyways, as the solid mixture turned into soft crumbs i had to get back into reality and stop acting like i am in 30 Minute Meals show. i took the dish from the baking oven and removed the foil and began scooping the crumbs and placed them on top of the fruits. just as i have done that, placed the dish back into the baking oven and turned the knob to 250C. The recipe calls for 350C but because we have a 15 year old oven, the maximum it can go is just 250C. 


i timed the baking for about 30 minutes but the moment it hit 25 minutes, omg the entire flat was filled with amazing scent of vanilla, fruit, sugar and i just had to run towards my mom and asked her if she can smell it too. before i even asked, she already had a huge grin on her face. (yes that is a good sign). 


so as i opened the oven, a powerful and addicting aroma just hit my face. the crumbs looks goldenly (is that even a word) amazing! i quickly placed the dish on top of our table and i just can't wait if the taste would be as amazing as the smell. but i just had to hold on more because i still have about an hour and a half to wait before i can criticize and worst, before my mom can bombard me with tons of feedback. 


an hour and a half later, the call for prayer blankets the air. as i whisper a prayer before i take a sip of water, the dessert just keeps calling my name. but i can hold on quite good and had our iftar first. then came the moment of truth, i scooped the dessert and placed it on my plate. so far so good. as my fork touch the crumbs, i just kept on hoping that it would atleast taste decent. then as i lift the fork and make its way to my oral cavity, i just had to do it. and there, OMG I am AMAZING. not to brag or anything but for a first timer, i did one great job. plus my mom said she tasted something similar at hotel restaurants! wohoo!! cheers for me!


so here it is, apple + pear crumbler.