Colorful displays of fall apples have made their way into the marketplace. Each variety has its own unique taste, texture, fragrance and appearance. Cooking traits vary, too. Some are best cooked, while others are best eaten out of hand. Some are delectable either way.
In the supermarkets, many apples are coated with wax to extend their shelf life. But organically grown apples are wax-free and have a lovely natural sheen.
Apple crisp, sometimes dubbed apple crumble, shows off autumn apples to their best advantage. The crisp streusel topping spiked with cinnamon and nutmeg, provides a delicious contrast to the juiciness of the cooked apples that it crowns. This version includes some fresh raspberries for a little added sweet-tart edginess.
If you want to double the recipe, use a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and double all ingredients. Bake 55 minutes at 375 degrees. Do not increase heat during the last part of baking.
Apple-Raspberry Crisp
Yield: 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS
Topping:
6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans
Filling:
3 medium Granny Smith apples
2 medium Fuji, Honeycrisp or Gala apples
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel (zest), colored part only
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup fresh raspberries
Garnish: whipped cream or ice cream
PROCEDURE:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For topping, place flour, sugars, spices and salt in food processor. Add butter and pulse 10 times, about 4 seconds each pulse. Mixture should look like coarse cornmeal. Add nuts; pulse 4-5 times. Do not overmix. Refrigerate while preparing fruit filling.
2. For filling, peel, core and cut apples into 1-inch chunks. You should have about 6 cups. Toss apples, zest, lemon juice and sugar in medium bowl. Add raspberries and gently toss. Scrape mixture with rubber spatula into 8-inch square (2-quart) baking pan. Distribute chilled topping evenly over fruit.
3. Bake 40 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake until fruit bubbles and topping turns deep golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Serve warm, accompanied with ice cream or whipped cream if desired. If making in advance a few hours, reheat in 300-degree oven until warm.