APPLE CRISP
This recipe comes from Julie Casey, the pastry chef of Tre Vigne Restaurant in Basking Ridge, NJ.
For the filling:
6 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 cups apple juice
1 and a half teaspoon cinnamon
Half teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
1 cup brown sugar
Quarter cup white sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
Place everything except the cranberries in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and maintain at a simmer. Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with just enough water to make a paste. Pour into the apple mixture and bring the mixture to a near boil. If the filling still seems liquidity, add one more tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in a little water. After the cornstarch has been added and the mixture brought to a near boil, remove it from the heat, add the cranberries and set it aside.
The crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup instant oatmeal
4 oz. brown sugar
Half teaspoon cinnamon
Half teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of salt
5 oz. cold butter, cut into small cubes
Mix all of the dry ingredients in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Then add the butter a piece at a time until a crumbly texture is achieved. Be careful of over mixing or you'll create a dough. If you don't have an electric mixer, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender. Place the apple mixture in an 8 x8x2 baking dish. Spoon the crust on top and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is bubbly and brown.