Cozy, Comforting Apple Crisp

Limbertwig and Macintosh apples. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Autumn cooking and baking are all about apples, especially here in Georgia, where the weekly CSA box is loaded with luscious organic apples each week. And no October is complete without a trip to Blue Ridge, in the North Georgia mountains, where a visit to Mercier's Apple Barn is a must. We load up on bags of baking apples and crisp varieties for eating out of hand.

A double crust apple pie is always on the agenda for fall baking, but given a plethora of apples and a hungry family, a quick apple dessert is in order. Apple crisp fills the bill. It's easy on the cook, especially if you have eager helpers who can put together the topping while you peel and slice the fruit. This is a substantial dessert, and I should mention that it's a first-rate breakfast, too. A spoonful of vanilla yogurt and a cup of strong chai tea alongside can prepare you for whatever the day brings.

Apple crisp. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Apple Crisp

Topping

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened
1 cup old-fashioned oats

Filling

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 pounds Fuji or Golden Delicious apples (or your favorite pie apple)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375. Lightly butter a shallow 3 1/2 to 4 quart baking dish.

2. To make the topping: combine flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and blend until well combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms large clumps. You could also make this by crumbling with your fingers, or using a pastry blender to cut in the fat.Transfer to a bowl and add oats, stirring with a wooden spoon.

3. To make the filling: whisk together sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Peel, quarter and core apples, then cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Add apples and lemon juice to the sugar mixture and toss until well combined.

4. Assemble and bake the crisp: spread apples in buttered baking dish. Crumble topping evenly over the apples. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool at room temperature so that tongues and tender lips are spared. Store leftovers in fridge.


This recipe is adapted from the Gourmet Cookbook.

More apple recipes:

French thin-crust apple tart
Classic apple dumplings
Short-cut apple dumplings
Applesauce
Apple blondie

Three recipes that use apples:

Morning Glory Muffins
Mulligatawny
Kid-friendly sushi

See more pictures of Blue Ridge, Mercier's Orchard, and glorious North Georgia in autumn, on this post: An Apple a Day

Text and images copyright 2011, Lucy Mercer.