Apple Crisp
I was cleaning out my freezer when I came across a Ziploc bag of oatmeal crisp topping, a leftover from a late September Blueberry Crisp.
Several summers ago, in search of a good way to use beautiful farmers market blueberries I came across a Williams-Sonoma Blueberry Crisp recipe. It is wonderful in its simplicity. The blueberries are placed in a baking dish with just a sprinkling of lemon rind, topped with a delicious oatmeal crisp topping, and baked until the berries are bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Easy and delicious.
As the topping can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator or freezer, I would often double the recipe and have a batch ready for the next time. Hence the leftover topping in my freezer.
It dawned on me that this recipe would work well with the Empire apples in a bowl on my windowsill. I experimented with the sugar in the apples, to get just the right amount, and added the classic apple baking spices; cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg.
The resulting Apple Crisp, served with vanilla ice cream or crème fraiche is a perfect fall dessert. Having the topping done ahead makes it a breeze to get together before dinner. Perfect for a weekend dinner after bringing apples home from the farmers market or an orchard.
Serve with vanilla ice cream or crème fraiche.
Apple Crisp
| Yield: 1 pan | # of Servings: 6 to 8 |
Ingredients:
Crisp topping:
½ cup (2.3 oz / 64 g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (5.4 oz / 153 g) firmly-packed light brown sugar
4 tbl (2 oz / 56 g) unsalted butter, room temperature1, cut into pieces
¾ cup (2.5 oz / 72 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
Apple mixture:
7 to 7 ½ cups apple slices2, from 6 to 8 (3 lb) Empire, Northern Spy, or Cortland apples
1 tbl lemon juice
¼ cup (1.7 oz / 48 g) sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
â…› tsp ground nutmeg
Serve with:
Crème Fra®che, as needed
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Before starting the apple mixture, lightly butter a shallow baking dish, with a 1.5 qt capacity. I have used a 6 ¾â€ by 11 ½â€ by 2†white porcelain dish, as well as a 12†copper oval.
- Preheat oven to 375 °F
Crisp topping:
- In medium bowl, mix together the flour and brown sugar.
- Add the pieces of butter, and using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal. The butter pieces should be no larger than a green pea.
- Mix in the oats.
- The topping may be stored in a zip-loc bag in the refrigerator or freezer.
Apple mixture:
- Peel, core, and slice the apples into ¼â€ slices into a mixing bowl. A suggested technique – slice the cored apple in half, then each half into thirds, then slices. Mix with the lemon juice.
- Mix in sugar and the spices.
- Pour apple mixture into the buttered baking dish, and cover with the crisp topping. Clean the edges of the baking dish to prevent dripping in the oven.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the top is golden brown, the fruit is bubbling around the edges and the apples in the center are tender when pierced with a sharp paring knife.
- Remove from oven to a wire rack or trivet. Serve warm.
Notes:
1. The butter should be at cool room temperature, between 68 °F and 70 °F.
2. Apple slices should be about ¼ thick. Suggested method: Peel and core the apple, slice in half, then each half into thirds. From this, cut ¼â€ slices.
Baking tips: If apples are sweet, the sugar may be reduced to 3 tbl.
