Crescent Dragonwagon shares a wealth of recipes and memories with humor and intelligence in her extraordinary Passionate Vegetarian. She promises that "here you will be well fed, well loved, well tended to, satisfied," and 1,000-plus recipes later, that's exactly what's delivered.For 18 years Dragonwagon owned and ran a country inn, where she fed glorious food to everyone including vegetarians
7 to 8 Golden Delicious, Macoun, or other good baking apples; peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons Rapidura or brown sugar
1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup unbleached white all-purpose flour
Biscuit Topping
1 cup unbleached white all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
11/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Saigon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chilled butter
1 1/2 teaspoons mild vegetable oil, such as corn, canola, or peanut
1/2 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons buttermilk or vegan buttermilk (1/2 cup soy milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
If not using nonstick, spray an 8 1/2-by-11 1/2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine the apples and cranberries in a mixing bowl. Stir in the honey and Rapidura (or brown sugar). Toss in the 1/4 cup flour. Add the concentrate and stir to blend well. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and place the dish in the oven while you prepare the topping.
To make the topping, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and scatter over the flour mixture. Drizzle in the oil and, using two knives or a pastry cutter, quickly cut the fats into the dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until blended. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the hot fruit. Return to the oven and bake until the topping is golden and the fruit juices have thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.
