Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp

Ingredients

For the crumb topping:
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• dash of salt
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, diced into small chunks
For the Apple filling:
• 3-4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• dash of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium size bowl combine the crumb topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate while you prepare the apple filling.
3. For the Apple Filling: In a small bowl, combine melted butter and flour until well blended. Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla and stir well. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour butter mixture over apples and toss to coat. Pour apple mixture into an 8x8-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and top is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

(http://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/2014/10/apple-crisp.html)

Preparation Method:

For this recipe I followed the recipe almost exactly. The one thing that I did differently was in the crumb topping. The recipe calls for butter diced into small chunks, however I was in a rush for time so I put the butter in the microwave to soften it up a bit which I believe made it too soft, however the topping still turned out the same as it was supposed to . For this recipe I mainly used the biscuit method because in the crumb topping I had to cut the butter in using a fork instead of a pastry blender. However since this is not a type of dough neither the biscuit or muffin method could be followed by this exactly. Since I followed the recipe so closely, the crisp turned out very good and was done correctly. 

Critique:

The crisp was delicious. It was very crispy and juicy in the middle from the filling. Biting into it was full of flavor and still very crispy, not soggy at all. The crisp stayed upright and was easy to cut through, however when picked through it fell apart a little bit. This was served with ice cream and caramel sauce which made the flavors burst even more. The apples were perfectly crisp and even had a little bit of crunch to them. The crumb topping was very flavorful and added the salty flavor to the sweetness of the apple filling. The crisp topping was also browned pretty nicely however could have been done a little better so that the top was more brown. 

Assessment: 

I would definitely make this recipe again, it was so flavorful and delicious that I would make it for a special occasion. I was very impressed by the outcome, I have had many apple crisps, including Marie Calenders, however this was still my favorite, because I feel that homemade always seems to taste better. I learned that for things to turn out, it is necessary that the instructions are followed exactly. This is why I followed them so precisely so the final would turn out perfectly.