CHAI MASALA, BOURBON & HALVAH APPLE CRUMBLE

Serves 6

The chai masala, bourbon and orange in the apples, along with the chai masala and halvah in the crumble, work like magic together in this Thanksgiving dessert. Use any apples that are juicy and sweet. (I like Honeycrisp, or Fuji is good too.) The rose petals add a pretty and festive touch to the whole dish. I bought mine from diasporaco.com.

APPLES

• 1¾ pounds apples, peeled and cored, cut into ½-inch cubes

• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour

• 1½ teaspoon Chai Masala (see recipe)

• ½ teaspoon table salt

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Zest of 1 orange • 1 tablespoon orange juice

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons bourbon

CRUMBLE TOPPING

• ½ cup rolled oats

• 1⁄3 cup almond flour

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• ½ cup packed light brown sugar

• 1⁄3 cup sliced almonds

• 1 teaspoon Chai Masala (see recipe)

• ½ teaspoon table salt

• 1 stick + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes, plus more for greasing

• ½ cup halvah, plus more for garnish

• Rose petals, preferably organic, for garnish

Prepare the apples: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a large mixing bowl with butter. Add the apples, brown sugar, tapioca flour, Chai Masala, salt, lemon juice, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla extract and bourbon. Mix to combine.

Grease a 9-inch square or deep round pan with butter. Add the apple mixture. Level it with a rubber spatula. Prepare the topping: Add the oats, almond flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, sliced almonds, Chai Masala, salt and cold butter cubes to a large mixing bowl. Mix with your hands to break down the butter into pea-size pieces.

Add the crumble on top of the apples, covering the apples entirely. Crumble the halvah on the top.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown on the top. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10-15 minutes.

Garnish with rose petals. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream garnished with a bit of halvah and more rose petals.

Homemade chai masala works with the splash of bourbon to elevate this delicious apple crumble.