Apple Crumble Pie (Vlaai)

Autumn is drawing nearer, as signalled by my upcoming birthday, decreasing temperatures and increasing levels of university related stress. Just a few weeks and we'll be huddled together in front of (optimally and most cozily) fireplaces and (less optimally) gas-powered central heating. When most people around me start complaining about low temperatures and pouring rain, I know my time has finally come. Finally I'm able to layer my clothing again, finally sunscreen on my face will suffice and finally (and most importantly) it is acceptable to bake with cinnamon again. When our wood heater was blazing away, I felt it was not more than logical to bake some kind of apple pie and so this Southern Dutch style Apple Crumble Pie came into existence. For me it makes that dreary day all the more glorious and for those for whom it is less enjoyable more bearable!

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Apple and Vanilla Tartes Fines

Inspired by my Paris trip, I set out to create a simple but very fine tart. A "tarte fine" has a flaky pastry base and can be topped with pretty much any firm fruit (although I wouldn't go for grapes, per se). Some pastry chefs partner the fruit with crême patissière for extra creaminess. Because I felt really eager to make these, I chose an apple topping - for some reason, supermarkets only sell nectarines, peaches and pears in their stone-hard, unripe form. That means that I would have to wait a week, if not longer, for them to ripen. No such patience here.. Apples it is! 

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Whole Wheat Apple Oatmeal Crumble Muffins

I'm all about apples lately. I'm churning out apple sauce, apple cake and now these apple oatmeal crumble muffins. I got this vegan baking book which has opened my eyes to apple sauce as a fat substitute. And since I'm watching the calories, I thought I'd try a couple of bakes with apple sauce. I was pleasantly surprised, although some recipes were more succesful than others. Apple is always a bit tricky to bake with as it is very moist, so you really have to be careful that it won't turn out all mushy. These muffins are vegan, but you can subsititute with non-vegan ingredients.

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