APPLE CRISP … still nostalgic about London & FBC!
This is a short crisp post about the apple crisp I made on my return from the UK last week. I am busy these days. Food, fun, festivities … and family! Apologies for the lack of posts but have been a little caught up ever since I got back from the Food Blogger Connect in London. The daughter appearing for her final examinations doesn’t seem to make things easier of course.
I got back to baking pretty soon when I returned. I came back and the son fell to my feet begging me for ‘dessert‘! ‘We haven’t had ‘dessert’ for four days, Mama’, he hollered. Chocolate in bars obviously doesn’t qualify for dessert any more, so I set to make the easiest thing I could in limited time. It had to be a fruit based dessert, and the only fruit at home were apples…
… so I zeroed in on a crisp! Just had to add some ‘London nostalgia’ to my dessert. What I decided to use was the Linswood ‘Milled nut flour‘ from the enviable goodie bag that we got at the FBC ’09.
The bags were organised by no other than fabulous Beth of Dirty Kitchen Secrets, and would have left you drooling! The Linswood site is worth a stop over because it’s brimming with a wonderful array of super foods as well as recipe ideas! Thank you Beth … I do love my goodie bag to bits!! That’s what inspired my CRISP!!
What’s the difference between grunts, slumps, buckles, cobblers, crisps, crunches, pandowdies, and brown betties?
All of these quick and simple desserts are made of fruit topped with a biscuit dough or a crumbly mixture of flour, butter, and sugar.
If biscuit dough is dropped by the spoonful on top of the fruit, it makes a lumpy, “cobbled” surface–like a street paved with round stones–and so the dish is a COBBLER.
Traditionally, if the biscuit is stirred into the fruit during cooking, it’s a PANDOWDY.
To be a CRISP, a CRUMBLE, or a CRUNCH, the fruit must be topped with some variation of a butter, sugar, and flour topping.
Typically, a CRUMBLE has flour, sugar, butter, and oatmeal; a CRISP has flour, sugar, butter and nuts; and a CRUNCH has sugar, butter, and breadcrumbs. There are also cake-like (instead of biscuit-like) variations, which include BROWN BETTIES and BUCKLES.
Some of the funny names, which date back to early American cooking, have a British influence (you know, the people who created BUBBLE and SQUEAK). SLUMPS and GRUNTS, for example, both have a large biscuit over the fruit. But a SLUMP is cooked uncovered, so it slumps on the serving plate, and a GRUNT is covered, which steams the biscuit topping and lets the fruit gurgle–or grunt–while cooking.
APPLE CRISP
Serves 8
Ingredients:
6-8 firm apples; (crisp ones, a bit tart are fine)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsps vanilla sugar or regular
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup black dried grapes or raisins
Topping
2 heaped tbsps plain flour
2 tbsps brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
Method:
Core,peel and dice apples. Toss them with lemon juice immediately after all have been chopped or they turn brown.
Mix in the dried black grapes, walnuts, cinnamon & sugar.
Put into 8 individual ramekins or a shallow pie dish (9” or 23cm or 1L), and press lightly into place.
Mix milled flour, plain flour and sugar with a spoon in a dry bowl.
Put in cold butter cut into pieces and work with finger tips to make a breadcrumbs like texture.
Now toss in the oats lightly with a spoon.
Assemble:
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Put this crumble over the apple mixture, pressing down gently to cover the top & seal the fruit in.
Bake till top light brown and stewed apple juice begins to appear on edges/about 30minutes. If the top begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil until done.
Note: Warm in microwave if need be before serving.
Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
28 Comments
diva
this makes me feel so christmassy the way you've photographed it 🙂 beautiful. and oh i'm nostalgic too. the goodie bag frm FBC was amazing. cut me some slack from my weekly food shop as well. lol. send me some crisp deeba mama
Amanda
Oh Deeba, what fun! I'm so envious 🙂 And that crisp is beuatiful!
Happy cook
Finals for you daughter that is why the late posting, i thought you are still in jet lag 🙂
Here my daughter is also having exams but then not the finals.
Ha ha the son begging for for desserts. I told you send him to me, so i can fulfill all my baking desires and he can eat them all up.
tasteofbeirut
I love apple crisps but never seem to remember to make them! Glad you enjoyed your London outing!
Maria
Apple crisp is one of my favorite desserts. Yours looks perfect! Glad you had a nice time too!
Rosa's Yummy Yums
Good to hear you had a great time there!
That crisp sounds and looks lovely!
Cheers,
Rosa
Barbara Bakes
Another spectacular looking dessert! All this time I thought I was making a crisp and it is a crumble! So cute that your little one missed his mama's desserts!
Su-yin
Oooh this is such a good way to use up the milled flour from the goody bag. Thanks for the fantastic idea!
It was good to meet you at FBC, wish I could have spoken to you more though! Next year. 😛
Barbara
Love your photographs, Deeba. I love all crisps and crumbles. Especially with vanilla ice cream on top!
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
Delighted to see you back with a recipe post Deeba, I loved reading about slumps, grunts and buckles! I have not heard of all of these so I've learned something this evening. xx
Manggy
Nice original recipe, Deeba. I can never pass up an apple dessert.
Sari
I so much like your photos from London, especially the squirrel is so cute! 🙂 And what a great use of your Milled seeds! I tried to add it to my morning muesli, which is quite tasty but I love a crumble-type of dessert and this is a great idea!
bethany (Dirty Kitchen Secrets)
Oh Wow Deeba! What a splendid job you've done! I'm sure the peeps over at linwoods would be thrilled to see what a fantastic recipe you've created! And thanks for the insight into all the varieties- I've always wondered!
Madhuli
Wow..can u believe was searching for a good apple crisp recipe and saw ur post first thing when logged in!thanks..will try it and let u know.
Arwen from Hoglet K
I love the names! A nutty crumble sounds perfect for cool weather.
Mamatkamal
This is one good apple crisp recipe! Glad to hear you had a great time in London.
Mamatkamal
Curry Leaf
I too thought you were still in the FBC mood.The apple crisp makes up for the lack of frequent posts,quality matters and all the best to your daughter.
Asha @ FSK
final exams in December?? Not MArch?
interesting add of the nut flour. any difference in texture or flavor?
Natashya KitchenPuppies
Totally delish! Crisps, crumbles, what-have-you, are a Canadian favourite!
Mowie
Such a great post Deeba – I always feel like I've learned something after I've read your posts =) So nice to see you put the goodie bag gift to such great use. Lovely!
Dhanggit
what a delicious crisp!! yum! I must admit when I read Meeta's post on FBC I was so envious of all you , anyway there's always a next time! Great post and photos of that event! Thanks for sharing!d
Gera @ SweetsFoods
You've had wonderful times there! The apple crisp looks enticing 🙂
Cheers!
Gera
Alexa
Delicious crisp–I bet this fruit dessert tastes as wonderful as it looks.
Helene
I went to London once and I miss that city. We had a great time and visited a lot. What a great goodie bag you received. And you made such a nice crips 🙂
Mimi
I love hearing about everyone's adventures in London. Your goodie bag looks fantastic. Your crisp looks mouth watering.
Mimi
Kamran Siddiqi
Beautiful Apple crisp and beautiful photos, Deeba. I've missed so much over the past month due to all of the huge projects that I had. One being my blog making a HUGE move…
Anyhow, I am back, and I am still drooling over your posts!
Anonymous
This receipe looks great, I look forward to trying it. Just curious do your enjoy cooking or baking?
Erika
Jeanne
Crisps are some of my absolute favourite desserts and this one looks spectacular. Now you've made me nostalgic for FBC!