Your Smart Kitchen Newsletter - 11
The World's Best Apple Crisp - March 15, 1990
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Mailer 17d
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Newsletter Issue #11 
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| March 15, 2009 |
| Editor's Note |
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Even though spring is just a few days away, the weather is roaring like
a lion in many parts of the country. This is the perfect weather for making fruit-based desserts to be served
hot from the oven.
The best thing about baking crisps, pies, and upside down cakes is that
the recipes are simple and forgiving. Fruit-based desserts are usually lowfat recipes
and much of the sweetening comes from the fruits themselves. Read more about cooking with fruit in the
winter in the tips section below.
As
a side note, I want to acknowledge that I have been really lucky to
find several experienced chefs who like to write. These are the people
who have been providing the main articles for this newsletter. As a
Chef Wannabee myself, I am really grateful to have real professionals
assisting.
Terry Retter
Editor, Chef Wannabee's Smart Kitchen
chef@YourSmartKitchen.com
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The World's Best Apple Crisp
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| By Rachael Weigle for Your SMART Kitchen |
I grew up with a very fortunate lifestyle. I was raised on the Northern California Coast, surrounded by family farms. Much of the socializing that took place revolved around really good, homegrown, organic local food.
I didn't realize how spoiled I was until I moved and I was surprised
that some of the foods I was used to weren't available everywhere.
I missed the little things like fresh, local milk from grass-fed cows and same-day, ocean-caught salmon.
But even far from where I grew up, I strive to incorporate local
produce in my cooking to support and celebrate all good things that
make a place - my home.
Apples are one fruit we can all find locally. Whether it's a bag of apples picked from a tree in the neighbor's back yard, or apples from the farmer's market.
Even if you are buying apples from the grocery store, you have a
reasonable chance of finding apples that are close to in-season or have
minimal food miles.
Today I'm sharing my secret recipe for the best apple crisp ever. I have never shared this recipe before. In fact, it is the first time I've ever written down any thing besides the list of ingredients.
The recipe originally comes from my neighbors back home who own a successful family farm and dairy. One day, I tromped through their cornfield to their house to pay them a visit. They sent me home at the end of the day with an armload of corn and the list of ingredients for the apple crisp recipe.
I have been using this recipe since I was a novice cook and it has never failed me. It is really quick and easy to make and it is always a big hit at potlucks. There was only one time that the recipe didn't come out perfectly and it wasn't my fault.
The crisp tastes really good served warm, so I saved the baking for when I was at the house of the people hosting the potluck. The whole house was full of impatient, hungry people. I let them dig in before the crisp had finished cooking. Even though it was half raw, everyone still loved it!
I recommend serving the crisp with a bubbly Riesling or some champagne. For the cold days in front of a warm fire, serve the crisp with a tall glass of milk.
TIPS
Fruit-Based Desserts at the End of Winter
Apples
are some of the only fruits consistently available in the produce
section at the supermarket at the end of the winter, thanks to cold
storage warehouses. The apples that are considered best for baking are firm and tart, like Granny Smith, Gravenstein, and Pink Lady. In late winter, hothouse-grown strawberries are just beginning to come into season. 
Many fruit-based desserts work well with any type of fruit, not just the type of fruit that the recipe recommends. Frozen or canned fruits can normally be substituted for the fresh fruits. With a little creativity and pre-soaking in water, even dried fruits can be substituted.
Feature Product
Romertopf Clay Apple Baker
These ceramic apple bakers are back on the Your SMART Kitchen website by popular demand. The bakers are designed to go in either the microwave or the oven. By soaking the bakers in water for 15 minutes prior to using them, the apples stay moist and tender as they bake.
Each apple baker makes a single serving of one of the healthiest and
most delicious desserts around: baked apples (see the apple baker
recipe to the right). This is easy healthy cooking at its best! Of course, apples aren't the only things that can be cooked in the clay apple bakers. They are great for individual apple-sized items like stuffed green peppers. | |
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| Recipes |
Northern California Coast Apple CrispFilling:
* About six medium-sized apples
* lemon juice
Crust:
* 2 1/2 c sugar
* 3 c flour
* 1 stick of butter (softened)
* 3 tsp baking powder
* ¾ tsp salt
* 1 ½ c milk
Topping:
* 2 c sugar
* 2 tbsp cornstarch
Peel and then cut the apples into thin slices with a quality knife. Put them into a deep casserole dish. The dish should be about 2/3 full of apples. Squeeze some lemon juice over the apples for some added tartness. (If you're short on time, the recipe still works great if you don't peel the apples.)
Mix the topping ingredients in a batter bowl starting with all the dry ingredient. Cut in the butter, and then add the milk. This makes a dough the consistency of pancake batter. Pour it over the apples. Make sure to seal the batter over the apples so there are no holes or fruit visible. 
For the topping, mix the additional sugar and the cornstarch in a separate kitchen mixing bowl. This makes a huge amount of sugar topping. If you don't want the crisp to be too sugary, you could cut the amount of topping in half.
Sprinkle the sugar topping over the batter evenly. Once this is done, either spray or flick water over the sugar topping. This step crystallizes the sugar and creates a nice crisp top layer. Be sure not to soak the sugar, just add enough water to make it crunchy.
Bake the crisp at 375F for about 45 minutes. If you live at higher altitude, this usually takes about 55 minutes. The crisp is done when a toothpick or knife comes out clean when poked into the crust.
Individual Baked ApplesServes four
* 4 apples
* 1/4 c chopped nuts
* 1/2 c. raisins
* 1/2 c brown sugar
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Begin
soaking the clay bakers in a sink full of water. Do not pre-heat the
oven. Put the apple baker in a cold oven and heat to 375 to 400F.
Wash the apples and core the interior of the apple with a sharp kitchen knife. Stop the core just before the bottom of the apple so that the stuffing won't leak out during baking. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a kitchen mixing bowl and stuff the apples. Place each apple in its own clay apple baker. Bake for about one hour, or until the apples are soft and fragrant. |
| Questions or Suggestions |
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We would also like your ideas of topics we should cover in future issues of this newsletter
Lastly, if you cannot find something at your local store or on our site, send a query and we will endeavor to find it for you.
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