The Friday Baking Project

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:

Vanilla Ice Cream or

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:

1. In medium bowl, mix together the flour and brown sugar.
2. 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.
3. Mix in the oats.
4. The topping may be stored in a zip-loc bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

Apple mixture:

1. 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.
2. Mix in sugar and the spices.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.