Apple Crisp

There are two Fall foods that I love above all others: and they are apples and pumpkins. I'll save my pumpkin rant for a later post though because today apples have the spot light. Out where I grew up in western Nebraska, we really don't have orchards that people visit to pick their own fruit. On our farm, we always had quite a few different fruit trees, like apple, peach, mulberry, pear, and even an apricot tree once, even though I am too young to remember it actually having fruit on it. All I remember about the apricot tree is spending hours in the leafless branches as a little kid playing pirates or little house on the prairie. Then one day Mom told us we shouldn't play in the dead tree anymore, and some time later Dad pulled it down.

Back to orchards. The whole idea of going to an apple orchard seems a little foreign to me and a bit like something straight from a fairy tale. Well, once upon a time happily ever after came true because I got to visit my first apple orchard just a couple weeks ago! Needless to say, I absolutely loved it, even though we picked the busiest day of the year to go and there were hundreds of other people there. And I'm not exaggerating- hundreds of people. Despite all that, I know it will now be a yearly occurrence for us.

I came home with bunch of Jonagold apples and the first thing I made with them was apple crisp since my in-laws were coming over for supper. The topping is delicious and crunchy but it doesn't overwhelm the apples beneath, which I really wanted to be the focal point of my crisp. I've had overly sweet apple crisps before that were gooey and soggy and you had to really search for a piece of apple. This one was not like that. And once you drizzle some caramel on top or add a scoop of ice cream, you'll have a pretty great thing in front of you.
 

Apple Crisp
Serves 8

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 stick butter, cold and cut into 8 pieces
1 cup old-fashioned oats
5 to 6 apples
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg, if desired
cinnamon, for sprinkling
caramel sauce, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and the 2 tablespoons sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter pieces into the flour until the mixture looks coarse. Stir in the oats and until large clumps form. You can also use your fingers to helps for the clumps. Place the mixture in the freezer until you are ready to use it.

2. Quarter the apples then peel, core, and dice them into small chunks. Toss the apples with the lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3. Transfer the apples to a shallow baking dish and place the flour-oat mixture on the top. Sprinkle the top with additional cinnamon. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden. Allow the crisp to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with the caramel sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Apple Crisp