Cranberry Apple Crisp

For me, nothing signals the holiday season more than cranberries.  Don't get me wrong, pumpkin and sweet potato pie are delicious......turkey, stuffing, gravy, all some of the best foods ever in my mind.  But cranberries make fall and the holiday season come alive for me.  I grew up having canned cranberry sauce, which is still a favorite.  But as I have grown older and become a chef, I have found a love for using the tart little berries to make my own fresh cranberry sauce, cranberry chutneys, and desserts. 

Cranberries compliment apples in a way that I think no other fruit does.  So I decided for the fall/winter to make an apple cranberry crisp for the restaurant's dessert menu.  At the restaurant, I serve it warm with homemade ice cream (bourbon caramel, egg nog, or vanilla), but I recently made it at home for a dinner party and served it warm with my bourbon caramel sauce.

The tartness of the cranberries with the sweetness of the crumble topping is the perfect combination.  And there is nothing better than a warm dessert with cold ice cream or sauce melting into it.  I like granny smith apples for this recipe, but you can use whatever apples are your favorite. Macintosh, or fuji apples, would work very well and add a little more sweetness if you don't care for the bite of granny smith's.  You could also replace the apples with pears if you prefer.  I like to encourage people to make a recipe exactly the first time to get a feel for how it should be done but then make it your own.  This is one of the rare baking recipes that can be changed - aside from the crumble topping - and won't change the outcome for the worse.  As for the crumble topping at home, I added nuts, but to avoid allergy issues at the restaurant, I don't, and it would work with a gluten-free flour mix - just make sure that it is a 1 to 1 swap ratio for your gluten-free flour.

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Ingredients

For the Filling:

5 pounds granny smith apples
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup AP flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Zest and juice of 2 lemons


For the Crumble Topping:

1 1/2 cup AP flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cubed
pinch salt

Directions:


For the filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Core, peel, and dice the apples - cut into about 1/2 inch dice.  

3. Place apples and all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.  

4. Pour into a large casserole/baking dish or individual ramekins and set aside.


For the topping:

1. Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  

2. Mix starting on low and moving gradually up to medium until well combined and the butter is about the size of peas.  If you don't have a stand mixer you can use your hands to crumble everything together just work quickly so as not to melt the butter too much. 

3. Sprinkle the topping over the cranberry apple mixture evenly.  

4. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  

5. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.  

*Baker's Note

You can also bake this in individual serving dishes.  If you plan to do this, dice the apples smaller and really pack everything into each dish.  This will make about 6-7 individual servings.