I am often asked for recipes that work for folks with dietary restrictions. Fortunately, I have a number of Facebook friends who are dealing with similar restrictions and are happy to share their ideas. For those with gluten issues, this apple crumble, is a tasty dessert option. The recipe comes from my friend Diane Goodman, and uses gluten-free flour as part of the crumble topping. Diane also suggested using rice flour, which is naturally gluten-free, as an option as well. I don't recommend one brand of gluten-free flour over another, but be sure to read the ingredients. Glenda Specht, another facebook friend, reminded me that some gluten-free flours contain diary and nuts, while others use ingredients like garbanzo beans, which may or may not be appealing to you as part of a dessert topping.
Gluten-Free Apple Crumble
courtesy of Diane Goodman
Ingredients
3 1/2 lb Apples (1/2 Granny Smith Apples & 1/2 Gala Apples, or other sweet apple)
1 cu Brown Sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cu Water
1 1/2 cu Chopped Walnuts
1/2 cu Gluten Free Flour (or Rice Flour)
Method
Peel core and slice apples and place them in a large saucepan or pot over medium high heat. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and cook until apples are soft, tender and have the consistency of apple pie filling, about 10 minutes. Lower heat and add water and stir for about a minute until water has mixed with existing juices. Remove from heat and strain the apples, reserving the liquid. Put the strained apples in an 8" square casserole dish.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Separately, mix together walnuts with the remaining brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and the 1/2 cup of gluten-free flour. Add 2 tablespoons of the apple cooking liquid to moisten the topping and help it hold together. Drizzle any remaining liquid, up to about 2 tablespoons worth, over the apples, then spread nut mixture evenly on top.
Bake until topping becomes brown and crunchy, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let crumble rest for about 20 minutes before serving. Serve "as is" for a vegan dessert or top with all natural, gluten-free ice cream for an added treat. You can also create individual servings of this dessert simply by dividing the ingredients into six 8-ounce oven proof ramekins before baking.
Thanks again to Diane for the recipe and Glenda for her perspective on gluten-free flour. If you have any comments or questions, please send me an email at wayne@waynesweekend.com or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
