seasonal plant-based recipes
The weekend before Halloween I went to visit my brother in Salem, MA. Much like these photos from my very first visit to Salem last summer, I ventured out early on a Sunday morning before people were up and about. The rain from the previous day lingered, creating the most beautiful grey and foggy conditions. Here’s what I was able to capture…
This vegan and gluten free apple crisp is flavored with chamomile and anise hyssop which yields a lovely amalgam of floral, sweet, and licorice notes. The warm spices in the oat crumble lend a subtle contrast and coziness to the dish.
I can’t begin to describe the dreary magic that is an apple orchard on a foggy fall morning. In order to be fully immersed in the experience, I left my camera in the car so you’ll have to settle for words. The smell was a mixture of damp earth and fermenting apples. The apple trees were in lengthy rows offering up plenty of space to wander, pick, and stand in awe. Through the fog you could see the reds, golds, and burnt umber of the other trees on the horizon. The ripe apples literally fell into your hand when you reached for them, letting you know they had served their time on the tree and were ready to be enjoyed.
I brought back most of the apples I picked (all 10 lbs of them) in my carry-on. I knew I wanted to make something special so I settled on a crumble studded with chamomile, anise hyssop, cloves, and cardamom. Chamomile, oats, and apples are one of my favorite combinations so I thought it a befitting match for my hand-picked Cortland and Crispin apples. The chamomile and anise hyssop (grown in my garden) create a lovely amalgam of floral, sweet, and licorice flavors. The warm spices went into the oat crumble so that you get a lovely contrast and that familiar sense of coziness they impart.
The good thing about this crumble is that you can make it as sweet (or not) as you want depending on whether you want to serve it for dessert or breakfast. This is reflected in the recipe below: use 2 tbsp of maple syrup in the filling and in the crumble if you want more of a breakfast-worthy dish. Or 4tbsp of syrup if you want more of a dessert vibe. I used a combination of Crispin and Cortland apples for this but any sweet-tart apple would work, i.e. Pink Lady, Northern Spy, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith. The apples in the photos and in the crumble were picked at Russell Orchards in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
This vegan and gluten free apple crisp is flavored with chamomile and anise hyssop which yields a lovely amalgam of floral, sweet, and licorice notes. The warm spices in the oat crumble lend a subtle contrast and coziness to the dish.
for the filling:
for the crumble topping:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add the apples, lemon juice, arrowroot, maple syrup, vanilla, chamomile, and anise hyssop to a bowl. Toss to mix then spoon into a 2-quart baking dish.
Put 1 cup of the oats into a blender or food processor and pulse until you have a coarse looking flour. Add this to a bowl along with the remaining oats, salt, and the spices. Mix, then add the coconut oil and maple syrup. Mash the coconut oil and syrup into the oat mixture until it begins to hold together in clumps and looks crumbly. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the surface of your apples.
Bake your crumble for 35 to 40 minutes or until the juices from the apples are bubbling and the oats are a deep golden color. Cool 5 minutes before serving.
Feel free to serve with a drizzle of cashew butter, freshly whipped coconut cream, or vegan vanilla ice cream if you like!