Two Crumbles with a difference…

Two Crumbles with a difference…

Apple and rhubarb crumble - a dairy free recipe

 

I’ve always loved a good fruit crumble, however, the traditional recipe calls for butter, wheat flour and oats – all of which are not compatible ingredients for a dairy and gluten free diet.

But when I saw some beautiful pink rhubarb in our local store recently, I was inspired to try and create a traditional style crumble that I could enjoy too!

During my time as a pastry chef in NZ, I developed a rhubarb crumble recipe that became so popular it wasn’t allowed to come off the menu until we came up with another best seller. This became quite the headache for the head chef, who strongly believed a humble fruit crumble did not belong on the menu of a fine dining restaurant.

I’m not sure we ever found anything quite as popular to replace it with, but it did eventually come off and the head chef could once again breathe easy. New Zealanders really love their fruit crumble!

The key to the success of that crumble recipe was the following qualities: it was crunchy on top yet soft underneath; some chunky clusters of crumble mixed in with finer crumbs; threaded coconut; and just enough spice to have you wondering what that familiar flavour is.

 

 

Apple and rhubarb crumble with coconut yoghurt

 

With those qualities in mind, I set about creating a new crumble recipe that was dairy, gluten and refined sugar free…. and I ended up creating two recipes! One with oats and one without, as some people can tolerate oats even if they generally eat a gluten free diet.

The unrefined sweetener also has a big effect on how your crumble turns out. If you like a more chunky traditional crumble then pure maple syrup is the best choice, but if you like a finer crumble then use coconut sugar. One thing to note about coconut sugar, is it has a lower melting point so in a crumble it can burn a little around the edges at regular oven temperatures. The best way to avoid this is to cook the crumble at a slightly lower temperature e.g. 160ºC and keep an eye on it.

Feel free to get creative with the fruit combinations for either of these crumble recipes. I’ve used rhubarb and apple, and blueberry and apple here, but you could equally use any berries, stone fruit or otherwise to your liking.

One of the things I love most about these crumbles is they’re essentially like healthy granola on top of cooked fruit, which means eating dessert for breakfast just became a reality! 😉

If you have any leftovers they taste just as good cold, or can be easily reheated and are perfect with a dollop of your favourite coconut yoghurt or nice cream.

I hope you enjoy these crumble recipes, and if you post any of your creations to Instagram I would love to see them – tag me @swoon.food and #swoonfood so I can find them. Enjoy!

 

Apple and rhubarb crumble with coconut yoghurt (a dairy free recipe)

 

Apple & Rhubarb Oat Crumble (dairy free)

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

3 apples
4-6 stalks of rhubarb
1 Tbsp coconut sugar

1/4 cup coconut sugar OR pure maple syrup (see above for the difference)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup oats
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup coconut thread
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp vanilla essence or powder
pinch Himalayan pink salt

Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Wash the apples and rhubarb well, and peel the apples if you are not using organic. Cut the apples and rhubarb into small cubes about 1cm square, and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp coconut sugar.

To make the crumble place the coconut oil and pure maple syrup (if using – otherwise add the coconut sugar to the dry ingredients) in a small pan and gently heat until melted. Remove from heat. Combine the oats, almonds, coconut thread, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Pour the melted coconut oil over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Pile the crumble on top of the fruit and place the dish in the centre of the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes. The crumble is cooked when the fruit has softened (and will be piping hot!) and the crumble has turned a golden brown. Note: coconut sugar will create a much darker looking crumble than maple syrup.

Serve large spoonfuls of the crumble topped with your favourite coconut yoghurt or nice cream. The cooked crumble will keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Tip: If you don’t have ground almonds you can make your own by placing whole almonds in a food processor and blending until they resemble fine bread crumbs.

 

Apple & Blueberry Almond Crumble (dairy & gluten free)

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

3 apples
1 cup blueberries

1/4 cup pure maple syrup OR coconut sugar (see above for the difference)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup coconut thread
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp vanilla essence or powder
pinch of Himalayan pink salt

Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Wash the apples and blueberries well, and peel the apples if you are not using organic. Cut the apples into small cubes about 1cm square, and place in a baking dish with the blueberries.

To make the crumble place the coconut oil and pure maple syrup (if using – otherwise add the coconut sugar to the dry ingredients) in a small pan and gently heat until melted. Remove from heat. Combine the coconut sugar (if using), almonds, coconut thread, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Pour the melted coconut oil over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Pile the crumble on top of the fruit and place the dish in the centre of the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes. The crumble is cooked when the fruit has softened (and will be piping hot!) and the crumble has turned a golden brown. Note: coconut sugar will create a much darker looking crumble than maple syrup.

Serve large spoonfuls of crumble topped with your favourite coconut yoghurt or nice cream. The cooked crumble will keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Tip: If you don’t have ground almonds you can make your own by placing whole almonds in a food processor and blending until they resemble fine bread crumbs.

 

 

Apple and blueberry crumble with coconut yoghurt - dairy, gluten & refined sugar free recipe

 

Raw Chocolate and Raspberry Brownies

Raw Chocolate and Raspberry Brownies

Raw Chocolate and Raspberry Brownies

 

These chocolate and raspberry brownies are entirely raw, have a whole avocado hiding inside them, and are bursting with nutrients which, I think, makes them taste even more amazing!

Made from a base of brazil nuts, which are a great source of selenium and magnesiu, and avocado, a good source of healthy fats, these brownies are packed with plant protein. Raw cacao powder provides the antioxidant rich chocolate hit, and dates provide the sweetness as well as dietary fibre and even more mineral goodness in the form of iron, potassium and magnesium. Raspberries add a lovely tartness to balance out the sweetness (although these brownies are definitely not as sweet as your standard baked chocolate brownie), and a little desiccated coconut adds to the flavour and texture. 

They’re very quick and easy to make, simply combine the ingredients in a food processor then press into a lined tray. Chill for 30 minutes before cutting into slices. Or if you’re feeling creative use a cookie cutter to cut into fun shapes! In honour of upcoming Valentine’s day I made these into hearts, and what better gift to give – a guilt free dessert that actually serves your health!

 

Raw Chocolate and Raspberry Brownies

Makes: 20 pieces
Prep time: 20 minutes

2 cups brazil nuts (raw)
1 avocado, skin and stone removed
15 medjool dates, pitted, chopped
4 tsp pure maple syrup, raw honey, rice syrup or coconut nectar
1 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 tsp vanilla powder
pinch himalayan pink salt
1-2 cups freeze dried raspberries (depending on your tastebuds)*

Line a small brownie tray with a double layer of cling film. Place the brazil nuts in a food processor and blend until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Place the nuts into a bowl and set aside.

Combine the chopped dates, avocado, cacao powder, maple syrup, sea salt and vanilla in the food processor and blend until you have a smooth chocolately paste (this tastes amazing!). Add the brazil nuts and coconut and pulse until just combined. Add the raspberries and pulse again until just combined.

Press the brownie mixture evenly into your lined tray and place in the fridge to chill for half an hour. Once chilled, lift the brownie out of the tray and cut into desired shapes. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

*freeze dried raspberries by ‘fresh as’ can be found in local food stores such as Farro, Nosh and some New worlds.

 

Almond, Pistachio & Cranberry Fudge

Almond, Pistachio & Cranberry Fudge

Almond, Pistachio & Cranberry Fudge

 

In my quest to find healthier alternatives for our nightly dessert fix, I came up with this roasted almond, pistachio and cranberry fudge.

It’s called fudge very loosely because, while it satisfies the soft, sweet and rich part of the definition, it doesn’t contain any butter or milk and the only added sugar is from the dark chocolate.

Instead, this chocolate fudge is a wonderful mixture of coconut oil, cashew butter (although any nut butter would work), dark chocolate (70% cocoa – no milk solids), roasted pistachios, almonds (again any nuts work – roasted hazelnuts are even better!), cranberries, a little Himalayan rock salt and a sprinkling of freeze dried raspberries.

We ate most of the first batch of the fudge (which had hazelnuts in it) in one sitting so I had to make another one to photograph.

Suffice to say it tastes AMAZING. The recipe is super easy too, simply melt and stir, pour into a tray and leave to set.

 

Almond, Pistachio & Cranberry Fudge

Makes: 20 pieces
Prep time: 15 minutes Setting time: 30 minutes

115g coconut oil
150g dark chocolate, broken up (I used a good quality 70% cocoa solids chocolate with no milk products)
6Tbsp cashew butter (or any nut butter)
1/2tsp Himalayan pink salt
150g cranberries
100g almonds (or pistachios or hazelnuts) lightly roasted & chopped sprinkling of freeze dried raspberries

Line a slice tin approximately 20cm x 20cm or 18 x 30cm with non-stick paper and set aside.

Pre-heat your oven to 160°C fan bake, place the nuts of your choice on a lined tray into the centre of the oven and lightly roast for  approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Chop when cool.

Place coconut oil, dark chocolate, nut butter and salt in a small pan and stir over low heat until melted. Add the chopped nuts and cranberries and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the lined tin, and place in the fridge to set.

Once firm, remove the fudge from the tin and cut into pieces. Store the fudge in a sealed container in the fridge and it will keep a couple of weeks, although I doubt it will last that long! It freezes well too.

 

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