Rustic Apple Crisp

They tell me these weather conditions are not normal for North Carolina.  Snow, snow, snow and many freezing cold days.  Yesterday we got 7″ in about 6 hours.  I don’t mind the snowy, frigid temps and seeing my world blanketed in white.  I’ve always wanted to live where the winters warranted wearing a coat.  Before the storm hit yesterday I headed for The Bog, my favorite place for a walk.  I walked briskly as the temps were in the 20’s.  I wasn’t surprised to see a multitude of birds flitting about, searching for food in preparation for the snow storm.  I saw Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, Carolina Wren, Eastern Towhees, a Great Blue Heron, a pair of Barred Owls, Downy Woodpeckers, a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, White Chinned Sparrows as well as a flock of Mallards, Canadian Geese and the ever-present Crows.  Quite a dazzling display.  This made me happy and hungry.

I’ve been buying tons of apples while they still seem to be seasonal.  I tire of eating raw apples and have been thinking of ways to use them in cooking.  Apple pie is one of my man Dan’s favorite desserts.  I prefer a crisp made of apples.  We had recently had one of each.  So what did I do?  I combined the two and made a Rustic Apple Crisp.  It was a bit fancy and less work than a double crust pie.  This may just be the ideal apple dessert!

I promised to share a recipe for Honey, Ginger & Garlic Roasted Chicken next, but I couldn’t resist sharing this one first.  The chicken recipe will be up next week.

Enjoy!

RUSTIC APPLE CRISP

Ingredients:Filling:6 cups of thinly sliced, peeled apples (preferable a mix of apples)3/4 cup sugar2 tablespoons honey1 tablespoon cornstarch1/4 teaspoon allspice1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping:1/4 cup flour1/4 cup oats1/4 cup brown sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamonpinch of salt1/4 cup chopped walnuts (pecans would work nicely too)2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 pre-made pie crust

Instructions:Place the apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and honey in a large bowl and toss until coated.  Set aside.

Mix together the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and walnuts.  Stir in melted butter, tossing  until well combined.  Set aside.

Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, into a 14″ circle.  Transfer the parchment and dough onto a baking sheet.  Pile the apple filling onto the center of the dough and spread out to within 2″ of the edge. Fold up the edges to keep the filling snuggly in the center.  Brush the pastry with egg wash.  Sprinkle crumble topping over the center.

Bake at 375* for about 1 hour, or until the filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown.  Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.