It's one of my favorite things to do in the fall. Ever since I was a graduate student in Wisconsin, I've made it part of my annual traditions. I've picked apples in five different states over the past ten years, enjoying so many different local varieties. This was my first year picking in New Jersey and was pleased to go home with some Nittany & Suncrisp apples - developed at Rutgers & Penn State respectively!
The boyfriend usually isn't very good at hand picking produce, he likes to only pick the most beautiful and perfect specimens. This means he usually winds up with a bag with three apples in it. Because of this, I decided he would be of good use behind the camera! This left me to walk the orchard and pick all the apples.
Checking out, I was happy to learn that I didn't spend more than $20 on apples. It's hard to find something to do in New Jersey that only costs $20, so it was really a steal of a day!
With piles of apples in our apartment and only one person who likes eating apples, I had lots of recipes to try out. Of course the first thing I had to make was an apple crisp, because they're delicious and I love them.
One Year Ago: Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two Years Ago: Cooking in Thailand
Three Years Ago: Mint Brownies & French Toast Cupcakes
Apple-Cranberry Crumble
A Wilde Original
You can make an apple crisp with any combination of apples that you happen to have on hand. I made this crumble in a large casserole, but you can decide to make it in small ramekins for individual portions.
Filling
4 pounds apples, mixture of two different types (I used Nittany & Stayman)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Crumble Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
8 tablespoons butter, cubed and chilled
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 ºF and lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Peel and core all the apples. Slice to 1/8-inch thickness with a knife or mandoline. Combine all ingredients for the filling in a large bowl. Pour apples into prepared baking dish.
Combine first 6 ingredients for the topping in a bowl and stir to mix. Add butter and cut it in with your fingers, two forks or a pastry blender. Don't overwork it too much, you don't want to the butter to melt. Pour topping over the apple mixture.
Bake crumble for 1 1/2 hours, until bubbly and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack until lukewarm. Enjoy with a big scoop of ice cream.
