Apple Expectations

How is November halfway over?? It's going to be Christmas in one second so...time to start baking!

I've been flipping through magazines trying to get some new ideas for Thanksgiving desserts. I've made all sorts of pies in the past, but the truth is that I have to produce an apple crisp or I will be asked to leave dinner! For realz. (These peeps expect a crisp or a crumble at each and every dinner that I attend. Holiday or not.) I was just thinking that maybe I could jazz it up somehow? Like with cranberries? I like the tartness that they add, but not sure if my dinner crowd will approve. I think that they may be apple crisp purists. Or just happy to get whatever I make? I'll go with that. I made a mini version today, essentially a half batch, and I was totes happy. (Just wish I had some ice cream or whipped cream.) We'll what I can get away with!

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Topping
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
2 1/2 pounds Fuji or Rome or Granny Smith apples (or a mix - about 6 medium), peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream

1. For the topping: Combine brown sugar, oats, flour, and salt in large bowl. Stir to blend. Add the butter and rub in with fingertips until the mixture comes together in clumps. Cover and chill while preparing the filling. (The topping can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)

2. For the filling: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Generously butter a 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Combine the cranberries, apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Transfer the filling to the prepared dish. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit mixture.

3. Bake the crisp until the filling bubbles and the topping is crisp and deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve with ice cream, if desired. Makes 8 - 10 servings. 

An Apple (Crisp) a Day

Apple crisp is one dessert that I had pretty regularly growing up. We didn't have a dessert every day, but apple crisp was easy enough to make that it became a familiar after dinner treat. And it's delicious, especially with vanilla ice cream. Or even the next day, cold for breakfast.

I do try to eat fruit every day, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood. (And you can tell by the apples that have been gathering in my crisper over the past few weeks.) Somehow eating those apples covered in butter and sugar is a lot more appealing than taking a giant chomp out of them. Knowing that it's dangerous for me to have more than a small amount of dessert hanging around, I decided to make individual sized apple crisps.

The recipe below is good for 2 - 3 desserts, depending on the size of your apples and the size of the baking dishes that you have. I used 2 apples and heaped my small ramekins full of apples. Since my dishes were so little I ended up making a third. (Be sure to pile in the filling as the crisp will deflate slightly after the apples are cooked.) Not a bad way to eat an apple a day.



Individual Apple Crisp

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound apples, peeled, cored, cut into chunks (about 2 medium apples)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the apples and lemon juice, if using, toss together, and transfer evenly to two (6 - 8 ounce) ramekins or gratin dishes. (Mound the apple mixture about 1-inch above the rim of the dish.)



2. Combine the flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit to cover (there will be a generous amount).



3. Place the baking dishes on a sheet pan (or foil - to catch any drips) and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbly and soft when pierced with a knife. Cool the crisps on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream. Serves two.