Apple crumble is an ideal way to capture rich pie taste
The arrival of apple season is a worthy consolation prize for the departure of summer.
. This Fall Apple Rosemary Crumble with Chia Seed recipe takes a few creative turns. I complement the apple filling with another classic autumn flavour: rosemary.
You can add a lot if you are a fan, or just a little if you want the tiniest bit of this chilly-weather-hardy herb. While the filling is a little floral thanks to the rosemary, I included a tiny touch of cinnamon, but only in the oat-based crumble topping, exactly where it belongs: as a foil to the bright appley filling. You can leave the cinnamon out altogether if you aren’t a fan.
The filling is thickened with a few spoonfuls of chia seed instead of cornstarch. Chia seeds soften as they plump during baking, and if you use white ones, they will probably go completely undetected. Except that you will be high-fiving yourself for getting in some fibre and omega-3s into dessert.
What’s missing from this recipe is more than half the butter and sugar of typical crumbles, but if your family is anything like mine — and I have four young kiddos around the table — they won’t even miss it.
Fall Apple Rosemary Crumble with Chia Seed
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Filling: 3 large or 4 medium baking apples, (mostly) peeled, cut into ¾-inch cubes, about 5 cups ¼ cup lemon juice 1 tablespoon raw sugar 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary, fresh or dried (or more if desired!) 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest ¼ tsp salt 3 tbsp chia seed (white, if available) Topping: 3 tbsp butter, softened ¾ cup whole oats 2 tbsp almond flour (or very finely chopped almonds) 2 tbsp flour 1 tbsp raw sugar ¼ tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp salt
Start to finish: 1 hour Preheat the oven to 350 F, spray a 2-quart baking dish with an oil mister or non-stick spray. Make the filling: in a large bowl, toss apple cubes in the lemon juice, sugar, rosemary, lemon zest and salt. If the apple cubes seem dry, add an extra tablespoon or two of water to the mixture. Add the chia seeds and stir well.
Make the topping: in a large bowl, mix together all the topping ingredients with a fork. The mixture should look like clumpy sand. Place the filling into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the topping evenly over the top. Cover baking dish with lid or foil and bake until apples are tender and topping is golden, about 45 minutes.
Remove the lid or foil for the last 15 minutes of baking time. Once baked, allow the crumble to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Per serving: 171 calories (69 from fat); 8 grams fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 11 milligrams cholesterol; 144 mg sodium; 28 g carbohydrate; 4 g fibre; 12 g sugar; 4 g protein.