Improv Cooking Challenge: Apple Hasselbacks with Crispy Oat Crumble

It's time for September's Improv Cooking Challenge hosted by Lesa of Edesia's Notebook. I don't know where the weeks are going.

The idea of this challenge: we are assigned two ingredients and are tasked to create a recipe with those two things. August's assigned ingredients: apples and oats.

I've long been enamoured with the flair of a hasselback potato. Then I began to see photos of other things hasselbacked such as carrots, beets, and even apples. I decided to give an apple a try. By the way, the hasselback presentation was created at the Hasselbacken Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden in the mid 18th century. It quickly became their signature dish.

I had just gotten some lovely apples at the farmers' market and had some homemade oat granola. I used both to create this relatively quick mid-week dessert.

Ingredients

2 large firm organic apples, peeled, cored, and halved vertically
4 t maple syrup, divided
1 C oat granola (here's one of my granola recipes)
3/4 C organic whipping cream
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t organic granulated sugar

Procedure
Preheat oven to 400°F.

The key to getting the slices to flare is to not cut all the way through. I accomplished this by wedging wooded chopsticks on either side of the apple. They work as a guide; you cut to them, but no further.

Place your sliced apples, flat-side down, in a baking dish. Cover the apples with foil.

Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Remove foil. Spoon granola over the top and gently press the oat mixture into the crack of the apple. Drizzle with maple syrup. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove dish from oven; cool 10 minutes. While the apples cool, whip the whipping cream with pumpkin pie spice and sugar. Serve apples with a dollop of whipped cream on the top.