Cooking Lesson #510: Cinnamon Apple Crunch

… from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

​How you doin’? I’m a little old fashioned… a balanced dinner to me is a small salad, entrée, starch (potato or corn) and a green veggie. But what dinner could be complete without dessert? Well, this is the one you’ve been waiting for. This is a great everyday dessert that everyone will love! Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream.
 
Apple crisp is a dessert made with a streusel topping. An apple crumble is a dessert of baked apples topped with streusel topping. In the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, the term 'crumble' refers to both desserts, but in the US the two are distinguished. In Canada, both terms are used ambiguously.
 
Ingredients usually include cooked apples, butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and often oats and brown sugar, ginger, and/or nutmeg. One of the most common variants is apple rhubarb crisp, in which the rhubarb provides a tart contrast to the apples.
 
Other optional fruit crisps can be made by substituting peaches, berries or pears for the apples.
 
Surprisingly, apple crisp or crunch is a relatively modern dish. It is notably absent from the first edition of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook (1896), which is a comprehensive collection of American recipes.
 
The earliest reference to apple crisp in print occurs in 1924, with a recipe in the Everybody's Cook Book: A Comprehensive Manual of Home Cookery, Isabel Ely Lord. In 1924, apple crisp also makes an appearance in a newspaper article in the Appleton Post Crescent on Tuesday, December 9, 1924 (Appleton, Wisconsin). Its popularity further spread during World War II, when food rationing limited access to pastry ingredients used for making apple pies.
 
Despite its relatively recent invention, apple crisp or crumble has become an American and British tradition especially during the autumn, when apples are plentiful. The dish is also very popular in Canada, especially in areas where berries and fruit are readily available.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  40 mins
Yield:  9 x 13-inch baking dish / 8 to servings
 
Ingredients
1 package refrigerated rolled pie crust dough
 
For the crisp topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
 
For the apple filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced, or more to taste
 
Optional white icing (see ChefSecret)
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400⁰ F.
2. Roll out the pie crust onto a work surface to desired thickness; press into the bottom of a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

To make the crisp topping and assemble

1. Mix the flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, brown sugar, oats and salt in a medium bowl; add butter and mix until crumbly; set aside
2. Mix the granulated sugar, flour and 2 teaspoons cinnamon together in a large bowl and toss in the apples.
3. Pour the apple mixture over the crust and spread into an even layer.
4. Using your fingers pinch and sprinkle the topping over the apple mixture.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350⁰ F and continued to bake for another 30 minutes or until the apples are tender and the top is crisp.
7. Mix all the optional icing ingredients and set aside.
8. Pour the white icing over crisp when cool.

ChefSecret:  Create a fast and easy white icing. It’s incredibly versatile and gives almost any cookie, cupcake, brownie or other dessert a delicious boost when spread or drizzled on top. You can also use it on a pound or Bundt cake, quick bread or as a sweet fruit dip.
 
The icing requires 4 ingredients you likely have in the kitchen: confectioners' sugar, milk, butter and vanilla extract. It doesn't require any cooking, just a quick whipping with a whisk. It is a fantastic last-minute icing for all your baked goods.
 
Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
 
Directions

1. Combine the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in small bowl.
2. Mix well until the glaze is a smooth consistency.
3. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix until the butter is completely incorporated.
4. Pour over your warm apple crunch and enjoy!

Quip of the Day: “A core belief is that apple puns make me smile.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America.

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