Lemon and tahini baked apples recipe from Helen Goh

Helen Goh offers a recipe for baked apples with lemon and tahini, presented as a light, refreshing vegan pudding after the excesses of December. The recipe indicates Prep 5 min, Cook 1 hr 15 min and Serves 6, and uses 3 large granny smith apples and 200ml apple juice. The filling combines 70g dried fruit (any mix of raisins, figs, apricots, dates), 25g chopped shelled pecans, 25g light or dark brown sugar, 30g tahini, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, finely grated zest of 1 small lemon, 1 tbsp lemon juice and ⅛ tsp flaky sea salt.

The oat-and-sesame crisp is made from 25g oats, 15g sesame seeds, 1 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup and ⅛ tsp flaky sea salt. The method calls for cutting the apples in half, scooping a 3cm-wide cavity, arranging them cut side up in a snug dish and pouring over half the apple juice.

Heat the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½, fill each cavity with about a tablespoon of the fruit and tahini filling, cover with tinfoil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil, spoon the sesame-oat mixture over the apples, add the remaining apple juice to the dish, reduce the oven to 200C (180C fan)/350F/gas 4 and bake uncovered for a further 30 minutes or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden; loosely cover again if the topping browns too quickly.

As the apples bake they become yielding and fragrant and the sesame-oat topping crisps to a golden crown.

Key Topics

Culture, Helen Goh, Granny Smith Apples, Tahini, Dried Fruit, Sesame Seeds