Apple Crisp

APPLE CRISP

I've decided to stop making apple pie and only make crisp. It has less butter and sugar then a pie and I like it much better. This reicpe is from America's Test Kitchen.

serves 4 to 6

to double use a 13x19 pan, bake 55 minutes at 375 without increasing oven temp

Topping:
6 T unbleached AP flour
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
5 T cold unsalted butter, in 1/2 in pieces
3/4 c coarsely chopped nuts, almonds or pecans preferred, or walnuts

Filling:

3 medium granny smith apples (1 1/4 lbs)
3 medium mcintosh apples (1 1/4 lbs)
1/2 tsp grated zest and 1 1/2 T juice from 1 lemon
1/4 c sugar


1. Topping: Place flour, sugars, spices, and salt in food processer and process briefly to combine. Add butter and pulse 10 times, 4 sec for each pulse. Will first look like dry sand with lumps of butter, then like coarse cornmeal. Add the nuts, then process again, four or five 1 sec pulses. The topping should look like slightly clumpy wet sand. Be sure not to overmix, or will become too wet and homogeneous. Refrigerate topping while preparing fruit, at least 15 min.
2. Oven rack to lower middle position, preheat to 375
3. Filling: Peel, quarter, and core the apples, then cut into 1" chunks (about 6 cups). Toss the apples, zest, juice, and sugar in a medium bowl. Scrape the fruit mixture with a spatula into an 8" square baking pan or 9" deep dish pie plate.
4. Distribute the chilled topping evenly over the fruit. Bake 40 min; increase oven temp to 400 and continue baking until the fruit is bubbling and the topping turns deep golden brown, about 5 min more. Serve warm. (The crisp can be set aside at room temp for a few hours and then reheated in a warm oven just before serving.)