Posted By Kimberly Turner on Dec 11, 2015 in Apples, Baking, Christmas, Cooking How-To Videos, Cooking Shows, Cooking with Kimberly, Desserts, Featured, Fruit, Fruit & Vegetables, Holidays & Events, How To Cook, Sweets, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Wine Country Kitchens with Kimberly | 0 comments

Napa Valley Vanilla Fig Balsamic Apple Crumble is sure to be a new family favorite for dessert.

This treat is a homey and filling dessert that is just as appropriate for serving after a dinner party as it is at a potluck meal, with simple and satisfying ingredients.

Although you could end a backyard summer BBQ or a holiday buffet with this amazing apple crumble, I do enjoy it most during the colder weather in the fall and winter, because it is so hearty, and it warms you up when served hot, straight from the oven.

Napa Valley Vanilla Fig Balsamic Apple Crumble:

The Napa Valley Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar used in this recipe, is fantastic – a treat in itself, and I really enjoy the flavor it lends to this apple crumble recipe.

The balsamic is thick & syrupy, delightfully sweet, and it sings with fruity fig and balsamic flavors, that marry very well with the sugary baked apple slices, along with a whisper of dark vanilla. There is no lingering sour harshness in this mellow balsamic vinegar, which can be incorporated into syrups, marinades, dressings, sauces and drizzles, to serve on fruit, ice cream, yogurt, french toast, waffles and toast, just to name a few uses.

Review: Napa Valley Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar

Combined into this apple crumble, the vanilla fig balsamic vinegar imparts a burst of flavor that WOWS you, and keeps you wanting more. Napa Valley Vinegar Co. has a fantastic line of fruit, wine and balsamic vinegars that are really amazing, and you can find them online. I hope you get some of their terrific vinegars, and keep them on hand in your pantry, to enhance the flavors of your recipes and to create your own unique dishes.

Type: Dessert Recipe

Yield: 6 – 8 servings
Prep Time: 12 – 15 min
Bake Time: 30 min

The ingredients & instructions are listed below the video for measurements & directions. Please enjoy this webisode of Cooking with Kimberly:

Ingredients:

5 large apples – washed, peeled, cored, with stems & seeds removed
1 1/2 – 2 tbsp Napa Valley Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar
3 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup bread crumbs
about 1 1/2 tbsp butter
handful of red seedless grapes
~ 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black peppercorns
sprinkle of sea salt

Optional:

dried or fresh fig chunks

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Have available a 3 inch deep, buttered 5″ x 10″ oven-safe, loaf-type baking pan.

Cut apples into halves, then quarters, and slice them about 1/8 inch thick, or chop into bite sized chunks, as you desire, and place into a mixing bowl.
Add red grapes, salt & pepper to the mixing bowl, and stir through.
Stir the Napa Valley Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar and 2 tbsp brown sugar, into the apple/grape mixture, distributing the vinegar throughout the apple slices.
Pour the apple mixture into the oven-safe baking pan and dot the top with a few dabs of butter – about 1 1/2 tsp.
For the crumb topping, mix together in a bowl, 2 tbsp brown sugar, bread crumbs & the remaining butter, and using your hands, knead the butter into the bread crumbs and sugar mixture, so you have oatmeal-sized crumbs for the crumble.
Spread & sprinkle the crumble over top of the apple mixture.
Place baking dish into the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 min. The fruit juices should be bubbling, and the crumble, golden brown & crispy.
Remove the Napa Valley Vanilla Fig Balsamic Apple Crumble from oven and serve it over ice cream, or a with whipped cream topping.

The smell of this gorgeous crumble is heavenly. I particularly enjoy this crumble the way my grandmother served it, with a hot heavy cream and brown sugar sauce, in a little bowl on the table, so each person can add as much sauce as they like.