a twist on apple crisp

Apple crisp is one of the lonely only fruit desserts I enjoy. Of course, health-nut Stephen loves (and typically will only eat) fruit desserts. This crisp was definitely a win-win in our household. But what's the "twist"? Basil! Yeah. It may sound strange at first, but I took a cue from various cookbooks (salads and other more savory dishes that make use of both ingredients) and paired the two. Note that ginger was key . . . so if you're skeptical about this dish and want to try it out, you won't want to use the traditional cinnamon.


What you'll need . . .

• 3 pounds tart apples
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• Handful or two chopped basil
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup raw sugar
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 4 tablespoons cold butter or Earth Balance
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Peel, core and chop the apples; toss in a bowl with lemon juice and basil. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, ginger, and cloves; add to the apples and toss to combine.
3. In another bowl combine flour, sugar and oats. Cut butter into 8 small pieces, and cut butter into flour with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly. Or just use your hands like I did. Stir in the chopped nuts.
4. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish. Spread apple mixture in bottom of baking dish then sprinkle with flour mixture. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is lightly browned.
5. Enjoy as often as you please. In fact, make a quick half-batch before heading off to work some chilly morning. I did. Just don't forget to turn the oven off!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts and be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever <3 b="">