My favourite thing about Christmas is the food. I think it goes without saying (being the owner of a food blog and all) that I quite like food and I quite enjoy eating. I love that during the festive season, people come together to spend time with one another, generally over the dinner table, enjoying the simple pleasures of good food and the company of those we love. I particularly love the flavours of food that come out around Christmas time, namely cinnamon and gingerbread.
Therefore, this particular recipe combines some of my very favourite things in life - crumble (a long-term favourite), apples and, most importantly, cinnamon. The end result is a hybrid-gingerbread-like Christmassy dessert that I have zero doubt will win absolutely everyone over should you serve it to them for Christmas dessert (or breakfast/lunch for that matter, given this is a rather healthy take on 'dessert')!!
When Decor Australia approached me recently to work together, I was thrilled for a few reasons! Decor is a company I have been using for my entire life, storing everything from baby food, school snacks, sewing kit and various other bits and bobs throughout my life. They've got lots of new, fun products out on the market, two of which I've used in this recipe - the Thermostone range and the Bamboo range. The Thermostone range is truly fantastic - they're baking dishes that come with lids, meaning you can bake and store in the same container, which is excellent as it saves on some washing up. The Bamboo range is also something I love as I'm a big fan of more sustainable materials being utilised in our everyday lives, so bamboo, which is plentiful, easy to grow and grows very quickly, is a great material to see becoming more mainstream, including in the food world as bowls, plates and cups! I also saw this as an opportune time to create a Christmas-inspired baked dish and so this recipe was born!!
Ingredients;
The Filling
4 apples, peeled and cores removed
4 small pears, peeled and cores removed
3 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp nutmeg
1 tbsp allspice
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp cornflower
1/2 cup sultanas
1. Dice the peeled and cored apples and pears, then add them to a large pot along with the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, coconut sugar and water.
2. Put the pot and its contents on the stove on medium-low heat. Put the lid on and allow to cook for approx. 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. While the apples and pears are cooking, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
4. After 30 minutes, take a small mug and put the cornflower in it. Add in a little cold water (approx. 1 tbsp) and mix well. Add into the pot, stirring everything well, then add in the sultanas. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to sit while preparing the crumble.
The Crumble
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
4 tbsp plain flour
1/4 cup coconut sugar
4 tbsp vegan butter/margarine
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp nutmeg
1 tbsp allspice
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
1. In a bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, coconut sugar, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
2. Take a small bowl and put the vegan butter in it. Place in the microwave for approx. 15 seconds to melt it. Remove from the microwave and mix till completely liquid.
3. Add the melted butter to the oat mixture and mix well until fully combined.
Take a Decor Thermostone dish and scoop the apple and pear mixture out into it, spreading it evenly in the dish. Scoop the crumble mixture out on top, again spreading it evenly over the dish. Place in the oven for approx. 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. When cooked, serve as is with a dusting of icing sugar, or if you're feeling extravagant, some coconut ice-cream!
This post was created in collaboration with Decor Australia using their new Thermostone range, however my opinions, words and recipe are, as always, proudly my own!
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