On the way home from the airport yesterday I stopped at one of my favorite farm stands, hoping to get some of the last of the season’s fresh corn for dinner. They were sold out of corn, but the air was redolent with the aroma of fresh picked apples and pears. I just wandered around for ten minutes breathing in the sweet scents and trying to decide which of the delicious choices to bring home. I finally settled on two kinds, Gala for cooking, and Honey Crisp for eating out of hand. The farmer explained to me that Honey Crisp are only available for a short time each fall, since they are very temperature sensitive. They don’t take kindly to refrigeration or cold overnight temperatures in the orchard. If you ever see them at your local orchard, be sure to try them. Just like their name suggests, they’re crunchy and sweet.
I’m going to use the Galas to make a turnip and apple saute to go with pork roast at dinner, and as the basis for an apple crisp that I’m going to serve with breakfast. It has oatmeal and fruit, so why not?
The recipe below is my favorite, foolproof fruit crisp recipe. It’s not just for apples – I use this topping for many different kinds of fruits.
INGREDIENTS
Fruit:
8 cups of peeled and sliced apples (about 8 medium apples)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
Crisp:
1 cup melted butter or margarine
1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
DIRECTIONS
Mix 1 1/2 cups of white sugar and 1/4 cup of flour together and toss with apple slices. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.
Meanwhile, mix melted butter, oatmeal, brown sugar and 2 cups of flour together with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden and apples are cooked through.
White Oak Inn
http://www.whiteoakinn.com
Yvonne Martin
Bed and Breakfast Foodie