Apple crumble sundaes

Hot, tender apples covered in a lightly-spiced blanket of oats, ground almonds and demerara sugar. Pair this with a scoop or two of creamy vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of heavenly salted caramel and you have a dessert made for the cooler evenings of autumn. It's such a cinch to make but the results are so deliciously rewarding. Bonus: this apple crumble is even better cold from the fridge the next day. Trust me.

I played around with a few different combinations for the crumble topping (it's a tough job but someone's got to do it) and this was my favourite. Using oats and ground almonds makes this completely gluten-free and the two taste wonderful with the apples. If you're allergic to nuts, absolutely go ahead and use flour in place of the almonds, it works just as well and has more of the comforting stodginess of traditional apple crumble. I've used ghee instead of butter to make this dairy-free (ghee is a type of clarified butter which is made by discarding its milk solids) but you could use a dairy-free spread or butter if you can. I found that while light brown sugar is lovely here, I loved the sweet crunch of the demerara sugar against the sharp tartness of the cooked green apples.

Look at that salted caramel sauce <3 It's completely vegan: just sugar, water, coconut cream and a generous pinch of sea salt. Incredibly, it honestly tastes every bit as decadent as the butter-and-cream sauce we're used to. The only problem is I made this completely by eye and taste, more along the lines of my mother's slapdash (but always successful) cooking, so let me try and recreate it a few times before I give you the recipe. I'll update this page with it in the next few days so stay tuned! (Update: recipe down below!) I'm also working on an eggless, dairy-free ice cream so I'll let you know when that's ready to share. Having allergies or food intolerances doesn't mean you have to stay out of the kitchen; you just have to get more creative in it. Happy cooking!

Apple crumble

Serves 4-6.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup ground almonds or all-purpose/spelt/gluten-free flour

• 1/2 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free if necessary)

• 1/2 cup demerara sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/3 cup butter, dairy-free spread or ghee, melted

• 1-2 tablespoons more butter, ghee or olive oil (optional)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Peel, core and dice the apples. Add to an 8" oven-safe dish and toss with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

In a bowl, mix together the ground almonds, oats, sugar and spices. Stir in the melted butter or ghee until well combined. I like my topping super crumbly but if you prefer a more clustery crumble, go ahead and add the extra butter, ghee or olive oil. Spoon the mixture over the apples and pat down with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the topping is beautifully golden and the apples are fully cooked and juicy.

DO AHEAD

If you're having a dinner party and don't want to be tied up in the kitchen, here is an alternate way to make your apple crumble. I did this in the morning of the dinner party. Your apples won't be as meltingly cooked, they will retain their shape as pictured above - but this doesn't take away an iota of deliciousness and gives you time to socialise.

In a medium bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients for the crumble topping and set aside. Cover with clingfilm.

Peel, core and dice the apples. Add to a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 and a half tablespoons of water and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cook for 5-8 minutes until apples are tender.

Scrape the apples into your oven-safe dish, let cool and cover with clingfilm.

When your guests are just finishing up their main course, turn on and preheat your oven.

Melt the ghee/butter and add it to your crumble ingredients, stirring well and adding more ghee/butter/oil as needed. Pat the crumble topping over the apples with the back of a spoon and put the dish in the oven for just 20 minutes.

Salted caramel sauce

Makes a little less than 1/2 cup sauce.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons sugar

• 4 tablespoons water

• 100ml coconut cream

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt flakes

METHOD

In a small saucepan, mix the sugar and water until the sugar partially dissolves. The water will actually evaporate away, we just want the sugar to cook more evenly. On a medium heat, let the mixture simmer and bubble for 8-10 minutes until the sugar turns into caramel. You don't want to stir the mixture too much; use a spatula lightly across the pan in the first few minutes but don't touch it once it starts to boil. Keep a close eye, you don't want the caramel to be too pale or too dark, you're looking for a strong amber colour.

Turn the heat down to low, add the coconut cream and mix thoroughly. Let this bubble away for another 4-5 minutes, until it thickens and darkens slightly.

Take off the heat, add the vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and really beat the mixture with your rubber spatula for about 3-5 minutes. Once it's silky smooth, sample the cooled caramel sauce for flavour and add a pinch or two more of sea salt, to taste.

Optional: if you want a thicker, more buttery caramel, as opposed to a sauce, add half a tablespoon of ghee/butter and half a tablespoon of golden syrup along with the vanilla and sea salt.

Assembly

Place a few generous spoonfuls of the apple crumble into the bottom of a wine glass, mason jar or sundae glass. Top with one or two scoops of ice cream and a generous drizzle of salted caramel sauce. If you like nuts, finish with a sprinkle of lightly toasted and chopped pecans.