Apple Season
The Gravensteins are ripe and ready for picking so we headed over to the Ernst family compound - 120 acres of forest, orchards, a garden, and an ancient donkey named Pepe. Lisa, my ex-Manhattanite, and very stylish friend, hosted a cider pressing party with her husband, Richard, a Dwell-loving artist and volunteer fire fighter. The potluck started with apple picking and ended with a killer apple crisp and 68 containers of fresh cider. Of course, lots of wine from local producers along with fresh tomatoes from the garden.
Apple Crisp with Dried Cherries & Ginger
For topping
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup almond meal
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon salt
1 lb. unsalted butter (4 sticks), room temperature
1 cup almonds (or any nut), lightly toasted, chopped
1 cup chopped crystallized ginger
For Filling
4 pounds Gravenstein or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, sliced
1 1/2 cups dried tart cherries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream
Make topping:
Mix oats, almond meal, brown sugar, flour, spices and salt in large bowl. Add butter and rub in until coarse crumbs form. Mix in almonds and ginger.
Make filling:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Combine apples, cherries, sugar, lemon juice, flour and ground cinnamon in large bowl. Mix to blend well. Place filling in baking dish.
Sprinkle topping over apples. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.