Some vegetables go surprisingly well with desserts. Of course, this isn’t anything new with all the zucchini breads and carrot cakes out there. So when I wanted to put together an apple crisp and had an extra couple carrots hanging out in the fridge, I thought, why not?
I’ve been trying to decide if adding veggies to desserts makes me feel better about eating them. Actually, I don’t think it does, but I am in agreement that an extra serving of vegetables here or there, whether sweet or not, can’t hurt.
Aside from their beautiful orange color, carrots are of course known for their vitamin A content which has long been associated with healthy vision. In addition, the antioxidant activity of the carotenoids protects the heart and may reduce the risk of cancer.
I always remember a conversation I had once with my grandma. She developed macular degeneration which caused her to lose much of her vision late in her life. When discussing dinner once, carrots came up. She said, “Oh yes, carrots are great for your eyes. I’ve eaten them all my life!” And then she burst out with laughter at her own joke. Ah, as Grandparent’s Day approaches I’m reminded of how much I miss her.
The carrots turned out to be a great addition to the crumble. I sautéed them in a little butter to soften them just a bit and added cinnamon to flavor them even more. They added a slightly crunchy texture and a mildly sweet flavor that complimented the apples and pears well.
I used mascavo sugar (unrefined cane sugar) for this dessert; however, I did use a table spoon of white flour for thickening. Anyone have any suggestions for a thickening agent that isn’t refined? The whole wheat flour I use isn’t so great at thickening, but perhaps something else would work.
Apple, Carrot and Pear Crisp
1 tsp. butter
¾ cup carrot, shredded
2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
2 pears, sliced
2 apples, sliced
½ cup mascavo sugar
1 tbsp. flour
Topping:
½ cup oats
¾ cup mascavo sugar
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
¼ tsp baking soda
½ cup butter
½ cup oats
¾ cup mascavo sugar
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
¼ tsp baking soda
½ cup butter
Heat the butter in a skillet and add the shredded carrot. Stir in 1 tsp. of cinnamon and cook the carrots for about five minutes. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the pears, apples, sugar, flour and the remaining 1 tsp. of cinnamon. Mix well to coat the fruit. Into a greased baking dish, layer the apples and pears with the carrots, filling the dish.
In a smaller bowl mix the topping ingredients except for the butter. Cut the butter into the mixture and combine with a with a fork or pastry blender until the butter is evenly distributed. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until crisp on top and bubbly.
This dessert sounds incredibly healthy not to mention tasty I love the guiltless idea of taking in my nutrients in a tasty fashion.
Yum! This looks great. I’d use arrowroot for thickening personally. You could use cornstarch, which is easier to find, if that’s your thing but I personally try to avoid it. Oat flour might also work – just grind up some rolled oats and there you have it!
What a great idea 🙂 It looks beautiful and I’m all for extra veggies (even if its in a sweet dessert). Love your creativity in the kitchen!
My grandfather has M.D. with his eyes, so I can definitely appreciate that story – he too has a great sense of humor, which is why he’s 92 and still going strong (despite the eyes, haha).
Lovely dessert!!
Hmm, looks soo good!
Love the blog. I am now following you twitter. Do you use facebook as well?
That looks delicious! Carrots are a great dessert veggie – in fact, they’re sometimes too sweet for me.
What a unique crisp with the carrots in it! I love it!
great idea lori
what about almond meal or flaxseed or sesame meal as a thickener??
reading about your grandma’s jole i though that the carrots should always be accompanied with some butter to make the Vit A available to the body…and found that you actually did that…he he..
we make a carrot halwa made with ghee n milk which is considered tonic in Ayurveda….
the recipe is very good n flavorful…it’ll be a full meal for me..( not a huge portion)
Like a carrot cake crisp–it looks yummy. Love the combination of flavors.
I love the idea of adding carrots to this delicious crisp! A wonderful and healthy dessert!
OysterCulture – Definitely no guilt here. 🙂
Amy – Thanks for the tip! I’ve not used arrowroot before. Oat flour sounds like a good option too.
Erica- I enjoy the bright orange color amid the brown. 🙂
VeggieGirl – It’s great when they can maintain a postive attitude depsite problems, isn’t it?
Emmett – Thank! Just mainly Twitter with my blogging friends for now.
Alison – They definitely go well with lots of sweet things.
Reeni, C & C – Thanks!
sangetta – Thanks so much for the idea. The halwa sounds really interesting.
Debbie – Yep, just needs cream cheese frosting in some form. Ha, ha!
5 Star – Thanks!
Seriously, the only way I can really enjoy carrots is in desserts, so this is perfect because I love, love, love apple crisp! With pears, this is absolutely irresistible.