I'm a huge fan of apples, and have grown to love and appreciate them even more over the years, especially once they became one of only a very small handful of fruits my health permits me to partake of any more. From tart Granny Smiths to sublimely juicy Pink Ladies, there's scarcely a variety of apple out there that I don't adore sinking my teeth into, especially when they're at the peak of their growing season like they are now.
The Okanagan Valley were I live in renowned for its apples and it never fails to disappoint come fall. Thousands upon thousands of red, green, yellow and burgundy orbs cling to the seemingly countless apple trees around these parts, just beckoning one to plunk a piece of fruit, dust it off on their shirt, and chomp right in.
Not one to steal however, I prefer to get my apples from either a local fruit stand or supermarket - picking your own from an orchard is also a great option, but not always the quickest one, if you suddenly need a basket of apples for that evening's dessert - like that in today's scrumptious old school recipe for apple crisp.
{A timeless fall classic that never, ever goes out of style, apple crisp is the kind of warm, sweet, wonderful dessert that always pleases table guests of all ages. Image via Eudaemonius on Flickr.}
Apple crisp was a standard, and much loved, dish in our home when I was growing up, and to this day I still prefer to serve it with wedges of thick, well aged cheddar cheese and frosty vanilla ice cream, just as my mother often did when we were young.
While this particular recipe differs somewhat from my family's classic (which includes an oat crumble top), it certainly doesn't sound any less delicious (especially if you swap the shortening for butter or margarine). I'd up the quantity of cinnamon and perhaps toy with the idea of a pinch of nutmeg or allspice, too, but otherwise I’d likely leave it exactly as it is.
Should your area still happen to have a glut of pears at the moment, too, you could absolutely make this dish with them instead of (or as a 50/50 mix) using apples. In the warmer months, peaches and plums are both shinning stars in fruit crumbles, and you can always turned to frozen or canned fruits in the wintertime.
Summer may be done and over for another year, but with desserts as sweet and wonderful as this, I don't think it will be hard to welcome autumn with open arms - and eager forks - once more, do you?
