Apple Crisp

Last week was my father-in-law’s birthday and instead of making him a cake I decided to go with what I know he would love; an Apple Crisp. I have been looking at this recipe in one of my cookbooks for sometime now.

It was really easy to make and no adjustments had to be made. It calls for either almonds, pecans or walnuts but I recommend the almonds. I love the mix of the apples too. The granny smith apples are tart and the McIntosh are sweeter, they break down to make it thick, giving it a great texture.  Served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, made the crisp even better.

Apple Crisp

Topping:

• 6 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I used fresh)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts, such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts

Filling:

• 3 medium Granny Smith apples
• 3 medium McIntosh apples
• 1/2 tsp grated zest and 1 1/2 tbs juice from lemon
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. For The Topping: Place the flour, sugars, spices and salt in a food processor and process briefly to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 times, about 4 seconds for each pulse. The mixture will first look like dry sand, with large lumps of butter, then like coarse cornmeal. Add the nuts, then process again, four or five 1 second pulses. The topping should look like slightly clumpy wet sand. Be sure not to overmix or the mixture will become too wet and homogeneous. Refrigerate the topping while preparing the fruit, at least 15 minutes.
2. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. For The Filling: Peel, quarter, and core the apples, then cut into 1 inch chunks. (You should have 6 cups) Toss the apples, zest, juice and sugar in a medium bowl. Scrape the fruit mixture with a rubber spatula and into an 8 inch square baking pan or 9 inch deep-dish pie plate.
4. To Assemble and Bake The Crisp: Distribute the chilled topping evenly over the fruit. Bake for 40 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue baking until the fruit is bubbling and the topping turns deep golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Serve warm. (The crisp can be set aside at room temperature for a few hours and then reheated in a warm oven just before serving)

Source: The New Best Recipe by Cook’s Illustrated