Apple Crisp by Mark Bittman

Apple Crisp

 

Do you clip recipes from newspapers and magazines?

When I read The New York Times food journalist Mark Bittman’s recipe for Apple Crisp, I was intrigued. When I read his line, “I don’t know why anyone would make a pie instead of a crisp,” I thought challenge accepted! Bittman says that if you “choose to use pears instead of apples, be aware that unripe pears are unlikely to become tender in the time it takes the topping to brown.” LOL! He continues, “You must begin with pears that have started to soften.”

Happy baking, hon!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups peeled, cored, sliced apples or ripe pears (2 to 3 pounds)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 5 Tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the pan (I substituted butter w/margarine.)
• 3/4 cups oats
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss fruit with half the cinnamon and 2 Tablespoons sugar, and spread it in a lightly buttered 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan.
2. Combine remaining cinnamon and sugar in container of a food processor with butter, oats and nuts: pulse a few times, just until ingredients are combined. (Do not purée.) To mix ingredients by hand, soften butter slightly, toss together dry ingredients and work butter in with fingertips, a pastry blender or a fork.
3. Spread topping over apples, and bake about 40 minutes, until topping is browned and apples are tender. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Tip: The baked apples give off a lot of liquid! After the crisp had cooled down a bit, carefully pour off some of the liquid (or use a baster).

Yield: 6-8 servings

Verdict: This Apple Crisp is yummy, but I still love Apple Pie!

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