Autumn Apple Crisp

Autumn Apple Crisp

We surrendered to the fog around mid-morning. The sea kayaking tours were cancelled for the day, and we figured we wouldn't see much from the hiking lookouts we were hoping to find. A good day for planning and preparing a warm and comforting meal.

My brother, Mike, made a beautiful Malaysian coconut chicken stew (with perfectly tender chunks of sweet potato) that bubbled away as we watched two whales playing in the cove in front of our cottage. I threw in some tofu near the end, which I liked but we all agreed would have been tastier had it been lightly sauteed first. A good lesson.

We picked up a bag of Gravenstein apples and I got to work on a crisp for dessert. It smelled heavenly when the apples and cinnamon melded together. This is a great dessert to serve for company - prepare it in the morning (don't bake), and put it in the oven during dinner. By the time you're ready to serve dessert, it will be perfectly ready.

Autumn Apple Crisp

8-9 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut in 8ths
3/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. + 1 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. or more cinnamon (Saigon cinnamon is best)
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. cold butter, cut in cubes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Apple base: Toss together sliced apples, 1/2 c. white sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, nutmeg, 1 tbsp. flour and 1/4 tsp. salt. Pour into an oven-proof 8x8 baking dish. Set aside.

Topping: Mix together rolled oats, 1/4 c. white sugar, 1/4 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. salt. Add the cold butter and press together between finger tips and thumbs until a coarse mixture forms, and butter is about the size of small peas. Lightly pour mixture on top of the apple base. Do not press down or the topping will become hard when cooked.

Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes. The filling should be bubbly and the topping golden brown.

To Serve:

After removing from the oven, allow the crisp to sit 10-15 minutes (or longer) before serving, so the apple base thickens a little. Serve with vanilla ice cream or cinnamon-scented whipped cream.