Apple Festival Guide: Apple Crisp Recipe

There's a whole story behind this recipe, but first, we'll give you what you came here for -

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Apple Crisp (Crumble) Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Serves four

Crumble Topping/Crust

• 2 cups rolled oats

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 cup butter, firm

• 2 tsp cinnamon

Filling

• 4 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I personally recommend using green apples for their tart-sweetness)

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 tbsp starch (corn, potato, tapioca, etc)

• cinnamon and nutmeg to taste preference (if you're out of either, allspice works just as well)

Instructions

1. Peel and slice apples. Using a medium-sized bowl, mix the brown sugar, spices, and starch with the apples.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut butter into squares, and combine into the topping using your hands (cutting the butter into squares makes it much easier to blend).

3. Divide the oat mixture in half. Using a casserole or pie dish, mold the first half of the oat mixture into the face of the pan, shaping it like a crust.

4. Fill the bottom crust with the apple filling, and then sprinkle the other half of the topping over the apples.

5. Place in the oven for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. Best served with vanilla ice cream sprinkled with allspice.

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Now, to the story -

When I was fourteen, I was obsessed - and I mean obsessed - with the TV series Road to Avonlea (which to this day is my favorite show). In that series, there is a character who prides herself on how good of a cook and housekeeper she is for her age, being only twelve when the series begins. Because I've always loved cooking and baking, I related to her character quite a bit.

In episode five of that series, "Proof in the Pudding", Felicity (the character in question) bakes a cherry pie for herself and her family. Her line:

"I am known throughout Avonlea for the excessive amount of cherries in my pies,"

is her most famous line and the one that caused the impressionable child I was to NEED my own established recipe. I wanted to be known as a good cook and housekeeper like Felicity was, and thus I threw myself into perfecting my all-time favorite dessert - apple crisp.

Weird how a dessert can be so influential in a young teenager's life. When I began writing The Fields by my House, I included my apple crisp in the story. It's very brief, but a little personal anecdote for myself for how obsessed I was with perfecting the said dish. I have always planned to make the recipe public, but I was waiting for the right time to do it - well, I believe now is the perfect time to bring The Apple Festival Guide to all of you!

I hope you'll try out this recipe and that you'll enjoy it thoroughly! Use the hashtag #PMJrecipes to share your own crisp with us!