Ina Garten’s apple crisp
When fame comes knocking at your door, you prepare something that will knock his socks off. I’m really not the bragging type, but that’s exactly what happened the other night. Josh McDowell, yup, you read that correctly, Josh McDowell, the world-renown Christian apologist and author of over 150 books came to my house Wednesday night. My little old house! In my little old town! In little old Maryland! Boy did my husband and I feel unworthy!
Josh graciously agreed to come to our Bible study small group to speak about apologetics, since the upcoming study in our group will be on this very controversial topic. I admit, I was somewhat nervous to have such a prestigious man enter my home. Was my floor clean enough? Did my house smell fresh? Was my bathroom so sparkling clean that you could see your reflection on the toilet bowl? And most importantly, what will I make??? But really, who was I kidding. While Josh is indeed a celebrity of sorts, he really is just another human just like the rest of us. He is indeed filled with the Holy Spirit, but, wait, so are the rest of us who follow Christ.
A peaceful, familial spirit entered the house with our guest and his two colleagues, as if they were just old friends stopping by for a visit. They all felt right at home, helping themselves to the many treats our small group family prepared and engaging in warm conversation. There were homemade lemon scones, spinach dip with chips, s’mores-cookie cups, chocolate chip cookies, and apple crisp. Each snack was just as delicious as the next, but there was one that really stood out to our dear guest. The apple crisp. Just before he began his talk, he paused and in all sincerity asked our star-struck group, “who made the thing in the corner?” Needless to say, he was referring to the apple crisp, which was sitting at the corner of our refreshment table still warm from the oven. Nostalgia with every bite, reminding Josh of a childhood favorite, apple grunt. (If you’re unfamiliar with the term “grunt” used to describe a dessert, allow me to enlighten you! A “grunt” is simply another name for a fruit pie-like, or in this case a fruit crisp-like dessert.)
I cannot take any credit for the recipe of my apple crisp, as it the complete handiwork of Food Network chef Ina Garten, but I can take credit for preparing it! “Why make such an autumnal dish in the middle of a heat-blazed summer,” you ask? Well, the only good answer I can give you is that I had a surplus of McIntosh apples sitting leftover in my fruit basket from a homemade apple sauce frenzy. I wanted to use up the apples, so I did, and it turned out to be the most appropriate way to do so. It was my first time making this recipe, and of course I don’t usually recommend using guests, especially celebrities, as test subjects, but now since it is VIP-approved, I will certainly be making it again!
Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
For the filling:
5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples (I used MIntosh)
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
For the topping:
1 ½ cups flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 rolled oats
½ pound cold, unsalted butter, diced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch baking dish. Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour the apples into the dish. To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples. Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.