Vegan Holiday Dessert

Hot Knives bloggers Alex Brown and Evan George share a holiday dessert for vegans. One tasty, aromatic idea they created is apples roasted in apple beer and cloves, topped with a coriander pastry. The two former line cooks enjoy the challenge of making delicious food without any meat. They also have a video collection of all their cooking exploits.

Fuji Apples à la Bière (Fuji Apples Roasted in Beer)

Serves 6

6 Fuji apples

2 cups Ephemere apple-spiced beer (made by Unibroue)

6 whole cloves

1/2 cup margarine (Earth Balance or other vegan brand)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 ground walnuts

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

1. Pre-heat your over to 375°F.

2. Core the apples, twisting them out gently with an apple corer, and place apples in a long, deep bread pan. They should sit snug so they don't bob around. Pour 2 cups of beer, which is most of the bottle (just enough for a cup while cooking!), over the apples until they're two-thirds submerged. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until softened, and they start to get blistery with a slight mushy look. The beer should be reduced by about half.

3. While the apples roast, whip up the simple pastry crust. Mix softened vegan margarine in a bowl with equal parts flour and sugar and some finely chopped walnuts. Roughly crush the fresh coriander seed in a mortar and pestle and add to the mix. Using a fork, combine into a rustic crumble and finish dough by squeezing in your hands until it's evenly mixed.

4. When the apples are ready, remove them from the oven and stuff them (not too tightly) with most of the pastry crumble. Sprinkle remaining pastry crumble on top and let it fall into the reducing beer "goo." Put the apples back in the oven for another 10-12 minutes. (The crumble will melt into the beer to create a sugary syrup.)

5. To serve, place one apple on a small desert plate. Drizzle some extra beer syrup on the top and side, and garnish with one fresh green cilantro leaf.

Music: I Have Known Love by Silver Apples