More of an apple pie person? Grandma’s homemade apple pie is reminiscent of childhood autumns and just as comforting.
Homemade apple crisp
Apple crisp or apple crumble? It largely depends on which side of the Atlantic you are. 12 years ago, I was ordering apple crisp from North American menus, with a scoop of ice cream. Nowadays, it’s apple crumble and custard. Dreamy! There are a couple of finer points to it though. The North American crisp tends to be more buttery and sugary, which is what gives it those much desired dark and crispy edges. And a crisp will always contain oats for its signature crunch factor. A British crumble, on the other hand, has a higher flour to sugar to butter ratio which better absorbs the fruit juices. Oats are optional. So, what’s a streusel? Whereas a crumble or crisp is a topping for a cooked fruit dessert, streusel is usually a crumbly topping for cake. The ingredients are the same, although it’s more of a crumble than a crisp in that respect, but still crunchy, golden and moreish.
Best apples for apple crisp
It is argued that any apple can be used for apple crisp. However, with 7,500 varieties out there across the Earth, I’d argue not. For me, an apple worthy of my apple crisp recipe must be two things: firm, or crunchy, in its raw texture; and tart. Sweet apples don’t do it for me anyway, but up against this sugary streusel topping, I want a killer contrast. Here’s my sour to sweet ranking of commonly used, and readily available, apples for cooking: My apple crisp recipe calls for Granny Smith or Braeburn, which retain their texture and are suitably tart. Not only are Fuji apples too sweet for my taste, they have a high water content which makes the fruit disintegrate when cooking and will result in a soggy crisp. AVOID! And there’s no harm in mixing it up either. Feel free to experiment by using half and half.
Serving suggestions
As I’ve mentioned, I’m team ice cream! A good quality vanilla or clotted cream is the best. Not forgetting a good dousing of salted caramel sauce. But my good friends, the Brits, won’t hear of ‘apple crumble’ without lashings of custard. Why would you have a hot pudding and a cold sauce, they puzzle. Having said that, they are partial to single (light) cream poured generously over the steaming hot pud too.
Storage and leftovers
Get ahead of the cookout or holiday game by freezing your homemade dessert. You can freeze either a baked or unbaked apple crisp. Here’s how: Baked- allow to cool completely before wrapping in cling film to make it airtight. Wrap the whole thing- dish and all. Freeze for up to 4 months. Your baked and frozen apple crisp can go straight into the oven. Cook again at 200C/400F and add 10 minutes to the original cooking time. Unbaked- once the filling has cooled, wrap in clingfilm (dish and all) to make it airtight. Freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw the unbaked crisp overnight in the fridge and follow the original baking instructions (200C/400F for 50-55 minutes). (Previously unfrozen) leftover crisp can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. If you ask me, it is even better a day or two later! It’s controversial, I know! Eat hot or cold.
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