K’s Kitchen: Apple crisp makes guests think you worked hard

By Kathryn Reed

What to do with the three remaining pippin apples? You can’t just eat these like any ordinary apple. That would be wasteful – plus they are pretty bitter. These are practically gold in the world of baking.

Needing to use them before they went bad (these aren’t quite as hearty as real bullion) I consulted with mom. She suggested a crisp.

She just said do this, do that and you will be fine. While I’m sure I would have been fine, I figured it would be better to consult with a cookbook so I would have something to share with all of you that came with real measurements.

Crisps really are one of those basic desserts that tastes like you’ve gone to a whole lot more trouble than you did. And if you have fresh fruit in the house like peaches or blueberries or strawberries or cherries or pears – they can all become a crisp.

For people who don’t want to deal with a full pie, this is the best solution.

The recipe said to let it cool. I put vanilla ice cream on my first serving – cooled it right down.

I got the recipe from Sunset’s “Easy Basics for Good Cooking” cookbook. This was one of the first two cookbooks I was given. They were Christmas gifts from my parents when I was a sophomore in college.

The cookbook says the crisp is best eaten the day it’s made. I have to agree.

 Apple Crisp

1 C firmly packed brown sugar

1 C all purpose flour or whole wheat flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ C butter or margarine

7-8 baking apples (2-2½ pounds)

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together sugar, flour and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. With a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly; set aside.

Peel apples; slice thinly into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon, lemon juice, and lemon peel; to coat apples, then spread them out in pan. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over apples.

Bake, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes or until apples are fork-tender and top crust is browned and crisp. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving, or let cool completely and serve at room temperature. Makes 6 to 8 servings.