I love pie. There's something so very comforting about it. I'm sure this is attributed to my grandpa baking a different pie whenever I'd come home from college. This continued even after I moved out to Washington, DC. Grandpa would bake apple, chocolate cream, blueberry and every once in a while butterscotch. We'd sit, eat pie, and catch up on life.
Well, I just don't have the patience to make a full pie. I tend to take the easy way out and bake a crisp. Eating a big bowlful of a fruit crisp isn't as comforting as a slice of warm pie, but it's still pretty darn good. Even better when I can justify it as breakfast the next morning.
With more than enough apples and pears in our fruit bowl than Keith and I could eat before they started to spoil, I decided to bake a warm crisp. I gotta admit I was pretty excited when it turned out delicious because...well, this is a complete Nicole creation. If I had not already placed an order for an apple pie, you would see this on our Thanksgiving table next week.
Apple, Pear & Cranberry Crisp
Filling
3 large granny smith apples
3 medium bartlett pears
1 medium orange
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 t. freshly grated ginger
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T. all-purpose flour
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter an 8 inch square baking dish.
3. Peel the apples and pears. Slice to about 1/2 inch thick and place in a bowl.
4. Zest the orange and add to the apples and pears.
5. Add cranberries, ginger, cinnamon, and flour to apples and pears.
6. Juice the orange and add that as well. Toss to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Set aside.
Crisp Topping
1 c. thick cut oats
4 T. cold unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
2 T. all-purpose flour
1-2 T. brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl.
2. Using fingers or a pastry cutter, cut the butter in. Make sure you don't have any large clumps of butter. I'm not as thorough to get it pea size.
3. Sprinkle the oat mixture over the baking dish filled with fruit. You can break up any large clumps at this point as well.
4. Bake at 375 for 30 to 45 minutes depending on your oven. You want the fruit tender and the crumb mixture to be a golden brown.
5. Remove the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
6. Delicious with ice cream or a dollop of vanilla yogurt. I admit to going with the yogurt when I'm trying to make myself feel better for enjoying this as breakfast.
7. Enjoy!
