culinary review
   
   

Breakfast Apple Granola Crumble

Last Modified: 10/14/09
First Published: 10/14/09
Views: 871
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Views: 871
 
For breakfast, many of us enjoy yoghurt, fruit and granola – it’s tasty and considered pretty good for you too, especially if the granola isn’t too sweet. A crumble on the other hand, is usually viewed as dessert: sweet fruit, crunchy, perhaps topped with ice cream or some whipped cream. But wait a minute, isn’t a crumble basically fruit and granola? And couldn’t the cream or the ice cream be replaced by yogurt and still provide a nice cool contrast? Of course it could, and it’s a great idea. If you mix some fruit with a small amount of sugar and some cornstarch (it could really be any fruit in season), then make your favorite granola topping perhaps with oats, nuts and coconut, and then combine the two, you have a crumble that is tasty, good and a bit different.
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Measurements
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General Info
Servings: 6
Total Cost: $4.46
Cost Per Serving: $0.74
Total Calories: 2,100
Calories/Serving: 350
IngredientVolumeMassCostCalorie
Butter, Salted (for pan) 1 Tablespoon 14.00 Grams $0.06 100
Apple, Golden Delicious * 400.00 Grams $1.52 192
Corn Starch 1 Tablespoon 10.00 Grams $0.04 35
Cinnamon, Ground 1 Tablespoon 6.80 Grams $0.34 18
Sugar, White Granulated 2 Tablespoons 25.00 Grams $0.03 97
Lemon juice, fresh 1 Tablespoon 0.50 Ounce $0.17 4
Oats, Old Fashioned 1 Cup 80.00 Grams $0.33 300
Almonds, Whole (slivered) 1/2 Cup 71.00 Grams $0.63 411
Coconut Meat, Dried, Sweetened, Shredded 1/2 Cup 46.51 Grams $0.28 320
Salt, Table 1/2 Teaspoon 3.00 Grams $0.00 0
Honey 2 Tablespoons 42.00 Grams $0.38 120
Apple Sauce 3 Tablespoons 48.75 Grams $0.06 34
Cinnamon, Ground 1 Tablespoon 6.80 Grams $0.34 18
Butter, Salted 4 Tablespoons 56.00 Grams $0.25 400
Brown Sugar, Packed 1 Tablespoon 13.75 Grams $0.04 52

Imagine serving this dish for a brunch – it could either be the “dessert”, or the main meal. Or simply make this dish and keep it in the fridge for an easy and delicious breakfast served with plain yogurt or some sour cream. The one thing to think about is to reduce the sugar content somewhat. When you make crumble for dessert, then sugar is an essential part, however when you make it for breakfast, you might enjoy a less sweet meal. Ideas for reducing the sugar content in the granola include using some honey for an interesting flavor, or to use less sugar and some apple sauce when combining the granola.

This recipe could easily be varied: for example, other fruits in season would make a wonderful dish such as pears, apricots, nectarines, cherries, berries or cranberries (perhaps in combination with apples or pears). Then you have the topping – there are lots of options available there. Of course nuts can be varied endlessly, try cashews, walnuts, pistachios, and instead of just plain oats, you could combine it with rolled rye flakes, wheat flakes or perhaps add a cooked grain such as barley or quinoa to make it more wholesome and interesting. Then of course you could also add seeds such as sunflower seeds, flaxseeds or sesame seeds as well as some dry fruit for contrast.

There are so many possibilities for this meal, and this dish is basically an idea of how to cook a different way for breakfast. However, this meal would also be great as a snack or as dessert. And if plain yogurt doesn’t seem fun enough for a fine brunch, then try combining the yogurt with some mascarpone cheese or perhaps some flavoring such as vanilla or some sugar and cardamom.

For an 8x8 dish (about 6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of butter for the pan

Between 2- 4 apples depending on the size, cored and cut in pieces. (You could peel the apples if you prefer, however the skins add texture, flavor and vitamins) Ideally use a couple of different kinds of apples

1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Topping:
1 cup of oats (could be replaced by other grains or rolled flakes)
½ cup of slivered almonds
½ cup of coconut flakes
½ teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons of apple sauce
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
4 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon of brown sugar, for topping

Method:

Butter the dish well. Combine the apple pieces in a bowl with cornstarch, cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice. Mix well, and place the apples in the buttered pan. In the same bowl, combine all the ingredients for the topping except for the butter and the sugar. Cut the butter in small cubes and integrate it into the mixture by hand. Place evenly over the apples. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Start with covering the top with aluminum foil. When there are 5-10 minutes check, how far along the crumble is and remove the foil if it’s almost done.

Let cool a bit, and serve with plain yogurt.