In my undergrad years, my
roomie and I lived on the Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice herb tea. It was
caffeine free, ergo, bedtime beverage approved. We went through a box in just a
week, infusing our breaths with the comforting, homey scents of cinnamon,
ginger, cloves and cardamom. It’s a surprise we didn’t empty the box
sooner, since Montreal
winters are famous for plummeting to -40°C.
I was inspired with the
idea of a chai spiced dessert using the bounty of apples this fall. But I’m not
too keen on warm fruit. Warm pies make me cringe. Grilled pineapples make me
shudder. Hot crepes with soft banana slices make me gag. There’s something
about the texture of cooked fruit that I have major issues with, I prefer
eating fruit plain and cold.
I can’t say I never cook
with fruit, since I like to showcase the best of what the season has to offer.
If I do bake with fruit, I make sure that the dessert is served at room
temperature, like this blueberry galette or this peach clafouti.
But I digress. This apple
crumble goes beyond the usual addition of cinnamon in the crumble mixture.
Here, a flurry of other ground spices joined the oat-crumble topping: ginger,
cloves, and cardamom, similar flavourings as the Bengal Spice tea. When I
massaged butter into pea-sized bits with the rolled oats, puffs of flour filled
the air, tickling my nose with the spices. I chopped up apples, tossed in sugar
and cornstarch (to help thicken the sauce), dumped the crumble mixture on top
and baked it at 425°F. In half an hour, my nose was more than just tickled; it
was seduced with the sweet perfume of
apples and spices.
The pan bubbled and
squeaked with hot fruit juices as I pulled it out of the oven. I waited impatiently
for it to cool, but unfortunately, the apples turned out too syrupy sweet
(from excess of sugar, but Eureka! Apple crumble dolloped on plain
yogurt makes a superb breakfast!). On the bright side, the topping transformed
into beautiful crunchy, nubby bits of gold, the pungent mix of spices hugged
the apples in all the right places, giving it that exotic zing, that hit of
something different other than the old stand by of cinnamon and apples.
I wonder if I make crumble only for the topping, which I could eat all day long, especially if it’s spiked with chai--I just couldn’t refuse.
I wonder if I make crumble only for the topping, which I could eat all day long, especially if it’s spiked with chai--I just couldn’t refuse.
