Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

Our days lately have been typical Seattle wet and dreary.  Not to mention that this is our 31st day of stay-at-home orders by the governor that began on March 23rd.  And there doesn't seem to be much to look forward to, although the coronavirus cases are decreasing now, so that's good.  Our state is doing much better than other states since we're obeying the guidelines outlined by the health department plus it started really early here, way before March 23rd.  Heck, I sent the email out to cancel our Mariner ticket party on March 5th!  Cruises were still leaving packed with people from Florida every week.  I remember thinking how crazy those people were but the rest of the country wasn't even thinking about coronavirus.  My thoughts are this:  it isn't going away so we're just going to have to deal with it until there is a vaccine.  When stay-at-home orders are lifted, the virus is still going to be out there and we're still going to get it.  It's just that the health care system will be able to handle it.  Hopefully, not as many people will get it if we still follow good hygiene practices and social distancing but the virus is not going away.  I don't see large crowds gathering until there is a vaccine.  No big parties.  No crowded restaurants.  No family gatherings.  No attending sporting events.  No parades or festivals this summer.  That's what I mean about not much to look forward to and it's so depressing. Yesterday, was an exciting day because Bruce was going to the grocery store (Isn't it sad what life has come to...I get excited because I'm getting a new grocery order!)  I decided to make chili for dinner and apple crisp for dessert.  Making the grocery list for another week and then cooking dinner took up most my day so that was a good way to stay busy and another day of self-quarantine gone by.   

Since Bruce was going to the grocery store, I knew he could buy some not-so-common ingredients so I made my anti-inflammatory chili from the Plant Paradox diet that's one of my favorites.   

Even Bruce loves it so you know it's not a weird recipe or anything.  It uses pureed sweet potatoes and broth instead of tomato sauce and pine nuts instead of beans.  But what I really wanted to make was apple crisp for dessert.  I know that it is a fall dessert but for whatever reason, I really felt like apple crisp.  It was on Ina Garten's instagram of recipes made from ingredients you have at home in your pantry during our stay-at-home orders and it looked really good to me.  Having a serving hot out of the oven was heavenly to say the least.  It may not be fall but our weather is fall-ish and we needed some pick-me-up happiness today so this apple crisp was it.  The hardest part is peeling and slicing the apples but Bruce likes doing that part because he uses our old-fashioned apple peeler and he enjoys watching how precisely it operates.  

This little gizmo got a lot of use in Idaho when we had buckets and buckets of apples that were too sour to eat so we made lots of applesauce, apple butter and apple pies.

If your stay-at-home orders got you down these days, this recipe is the pick-up you just might need right now.

  

Serves 6-8

5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples

grated zest of 1 orange

grated zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

For the Topping:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

1.  Preheated the oven to 350-degrees.   Butter a 9 x 14 x 2-inch oval baking dish.

2.  Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges.  

3.  Combine the apples with the zest, juices, sugar, and spices.

4.  Pour into the dish.

5.  To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas.

6.  Scatter evenly over the apples.

7.  Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for one hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly.  Serve warm.