apple crumble Γ  la billy green

vanilla apple crumble from Whip it Up! by Billy Green

Y'ALL! BILLY MADE A BOOK!!!!

If you don't know Billy, I feel sorry for you. Billy runs a blog called Wit & Vinegar and it's full of Housewives gifs, pictures of Rainbow-era Mariah Carey going to town on popsicles, and desserts and tacos and other foodstuffs that make me want to scream and cry at the same time bc I try my hardest to be a #healthkween when I'm not baking for the blog. Billy is also my virtual sidechick. I text him about the boys I'm going on dates with from Tinder and we talk way too much about Jamie Lynn Spears and drag queens, aka everything important in life. 

Billy also did the damn thing and wrote and designed and photographed his first of what I'm sure will be many cookbooks, Whip It Up, and it's pretty much everything I've ever wanted/wished for/needed. First of all, it's fucking beautiful β€” it's poppy, colorful, and delightfully fun. Secondly, there are entire chapters devoted solely to v important food groups like tacos, popsicles, and dog treats. PSA: THERE IS ALSO A NUTELLA BROWNIE TART DUSTED WITH POWDERED SUGAR IN THE SHAPE OF THE NAILS EMOJI AND IF THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU WANT TO BUY IT NOW DON'T EVEN TRY TO BE MY FRIEND ANYMORE.  πŸ’…πŸ’…πŸ’…πŸ’…πŸ’…πŸ’…πŸ’…

A few bloggers and I are doing a little virtual book tour this week to celebrate Whip It Up's release, sharing bits and pieces and other bites from the cookbook. After careful consideration (read: me looking in the fridge to see what I could make on my broke college student budget), I decided to put on my Dixie Chicks Greatest Hits playlist, dance around the kitchen with a paring knife and make this vanilla apple crumble. Don't tell him, but I definitely subbed the walnuts for pecans (because lazy and poor) and topped the whole shebang with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel. Honestly, I couldn't have had a better excuse to skip my weekly barre class. So thanks Billy, this one's for you! My thighs are thanking you. 

vanilla apple crumble from Whip it Up! by Billy Green
vanilla apple crumble from Whip it Up! by Billy Green
vanilla apple crumble from Whip it Up! by Billy Green

Vanilla Apple Crumble

for the topping:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 vanilla bean pod, split, seeds scraped and reserved
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts (I used pecans bc I was too lazy to drive to the store)

for the filling: 

  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 large tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced (Fuji or Gala work great)
  • vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and pull out your favorite 8x8-inch baking dish. 

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and add the vanilla bean pod and the seeds to the melted butter, and let steep for 20 minutes.

To make the filling: combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the peeled and slices apples and toss until evenly combined, set aside.

For the topping, mix the flour, brown sugar, salt and walnuts together. Remove the vanilla pod and add the vanilla butter, mixing until evenly moistened and well combined.

Add the apple mixture to the prepared baking dish, and then distribute the crumb toping over the top. Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and then serve with ice cream and caramel and whatever else your little heart desires.

grilled bananas foster sundaes

grilled bananas foster sundaes

Football and I don't really have the best of relationships. 

People never believe me when I tell them that I was quite the sporty child growing up. For years, I bounced back and forth between different sports β€” I played basketball throughout my childhood, embarrassed my entire family by routinely missing the tee-ball in front of me, and was even on the soccer team until I started high school. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't the best in any of these. (Really though, are you surprised? I was definitely definitely more of the theatre and dance and baking cookies in the kitchen for the team sorta boy. πŸ’ƒ) But football? That was of the bleakest moments in my timeline. 

After my failed attempt at fourth grade flag football, I decided I'd had enough. I mean, seriously, I didn't even know what a down was. Actually, I still don't. Today, I usually just spend football season listening to my dad scream at the television and act like I know what's going on when all I can see is a bunch of little men zigzagging their way across a field of fake grass. 

grilled bananas foster sundaes with kingsford charcoal
grilled bananas foster sundaes

Fourth grade drama and total stupidity aside, I love football season for the weekly parties we throw at my house. Each week, my mom and I light up the grill, preheat the oven and create a full spread inspired by the local cuisine of whichever team we're playing against. Unsurprisingly, I'm always in charge of the dessert. Though fan rivalry is the name of the game during football season, food is what brings fans together. 

All month long, bloggers are teaming up with Kingsford Charcoal to bring you the biggest virtual football party ever. True to form, I've nominated myself for the coveted dessert duty. Since I'm from New Orleans, I'm repping the Saints in true black and gold fashion with these grilled bananas fosters sundaes. Honey glazed bananas, topped with creole cream cheese ice cream, bourbon whipped cream, bananas foster sauce, pecans and even edible gold. Touchdown

grilled bananas foster sundaes
grilled bananas foster sundaes

🏈Cop the recipe below! If you need me, I'll be pigging out in the kitchen all game long. πŸˆ


Grilled Bananas

  • 2 slightly ripe bananas, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar  
  • Kingsford Charcoal briquettes 

Directions

Using a paring knife, slice the bananas in half lengthwise. Coat each banana piece with honey, then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. On your charcoal grill, place the bananas cut side down and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the bananas over and cook the other side for 2 minutes. Serve immediately with bananas foster sauce and other toppings. 

Bananas Foster Sauce

  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum 

Directions

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter until completely melted. Stir in the brown sugar and bananas. Cook until caramelized, about 2-3 minutes. Add rum and using a grill lighter, flambΓ© the sauce. Cook until the flame goes out, then remove from heat and set aside. 

Bourbon Whipped Cream 

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar 
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
  • creole cream cheese or vanilla ice cream
  • 1/4 cup toasted pecans
  • 1/4 sheet edible gold leaf

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, bourbon and vanilla on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Top the bananas with bananas foster sauce, ice cream, whipped cream, pecans and edible gold leaf. 


This post was sponsored by Kingsford Charcoal. All opinions are my own.

a day in new orleans (fueled by lots of coffee)

I personally believe that calories don't exist in New Orleans, so I like to treat myself to a cafe au lait and an order of beignets with extra powdered sugar at my favorite beignet spot, the original Cafe du Monde in Jackson Square.

I personally believe that calories don't exist in New Orleans, so I like to treat myself to a cafe au lait and an order of beignets with extra powdered sugar at my favorite beignet spot, the original Cafe du Monde in Jackson Square.

the quintessential City Park picnic: meats and cheeses from St. James Cheese Company, an overflow of freshly-baked breads from La Boulangerie, colorful macarons from Sucre and iced French Market Coffee French Roast. 

the quintessential City Park picnic: meats and cheeses from St. James Cheese Company, an overflow of freshly-baked breads from La Boulangerie, colorful macarons from Sucre and iced French Market Coffee French Roast. 

lafayette cemetery, new orleans
lafayette cemetery, new orleans
if you're looking for the perfect mid-day pick me up before going out for cocktails, Domenica's affogato with Chef Lisa White's famed chocolate espresso cookies β€” bruto ma buoni β€” hits the spot every. single. time.  

if you're looking for the perfect mid-day pick me up before going out for cocktails, Domenica's affogato with Chef Lisa White's famed chocolate espresso cookies β€” bruto ma buoni β€” hits the spot every. single. time.  

new orleans, la // glazed & confused

To say that New Orleans is a special place is an understatement.

Every square foot of this perfectly imperfect city overflows with character. I grew up in a small town less than an hour north of the city, but never truly discovered my love for the city until the day I left it. It’s a bit of a paradox really, because placing yourself in New Orleans often seems like removing yourself from the outside world. Time goes slowly here and things don’t always get done on time, but that laissez-faire attitude is exactly what makes New Orleans so beautiful. From the colorful Caribbean houses of the French Quarter to the melange of cultures visible on each and every street corner. The food. Hell, how I love the food. The fact that it’s perfectly acceptable to have a full-fledged powdered sugar fight over a hot cup of our amazing chicory coffee. The need to celebrate anything and everything to the openness and hospitality of complete strangers. The reasons for my love are endless.


Thank you to French Market Coffee for letting me share my perspective on New Orleans! Check out what other NOLA bloggers have been sharing by searching #mynolamycoffee on Instagram.