A week after my father passed away, I came home to find an enormous gift basket filled with an assortment of fruit (a pineapple even!), chocolate, cheese and a few other assorted treats, sent to us by my father’s dear shipmate friend, Sid. The challenge came in finding ways to use it all, but I am always up for a challenge in the kitchen.
Confession: I get a kick out of finding clever ways to combine what we have leftover to concoct something unique and tasty. For me, it’s like putting together a culinary puzzle. So, for the past two weeks, we’ve enjoyed everything from pineapple salsa served with chicken and poblano chiles to today’s apple-ginger crisp.
Using fresh ginger is my twist on classic apple crisp. We had a large piece that needed to find a home, and I enjoy the pungent bite ginger adds to the tartness of the apples and the sweetness from the sugar. I also tweaked the spices by adding a bit of allspice, for an extra kick.
With Seattle’s return to predictable cold and dank February days, after a brief respite of sunshine, the apple-ginger crisp was perfect for warming our bellies. And the smiles on our faces were a testament to the fact that this was a darn good twist on crisp.
Apple-ginger crisp
- 4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced or chopped (about 4 cups)
- ¾-cup packed brown sugar
- ½-cup all-purpose flour
- ½-cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/3-cup butter or margarine, softened
- ¾-teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾-teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½-teaspoon allspice
- 1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated (I like mine quite gingery and added a bit more)
- Fresh cream or ice cream, if desired
- Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with butter or shortening.
- Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, mix together remaining ingredients except cream until well mixed (you can “cut in” the butter with two forks or break into small pieces by hand and mix). Sprinkle over apples.
- Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with a pour of fresh cream or a dollop of ice cream.
Want to discover a new twist on more tasty delights? Check out Wanderfood Wednesday!