Recipe: Cranberry-Apple Crisp

Based on a recipe from the October 2006 Cook's Country. Read the story behind this dish in Sunday, Dinner for Two.  Makes 8 servings.

• The original recipe was for 13x9-inch baking dish which made too much crisp for two people. I halved the recipe (thus all the eighths) for an 8x8-inch baking dish which worked out well for two people.

Ingredients 

 

Topping
3/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/8 cup old-fashioned oats
Filling
1/2 pound fresh, or frozen, cranberries
5/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup water
1 1/4 pounds tart apples like Granny Smith (3-4 apples)
1 1/4 pounds sweet apples like Golden Delicious or Braeburn (3-4 apples)
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 1/2 tablespoons Minute Tapioca 
 

Instructions

1. Cut the butter into ½-inch pieces and chill in the refrigerator.
2. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and butter about 12 times so it has the consistency of coarse crumbs.
3. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and pinch it together to form peanut-sized clumps. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
4. Heat oven to 400° with a rack in the middle position.
5. Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces.
6. In a Dutch oven, bring the fresh (or frozen) cranberries, 3/8 cup sugar, and water to a simmer over medium-high heat.
7. Cook about 10 minutes until the cranberries are softened and the mixture thickens to the consistency of jam.
8. Scrape cranberry mixture into a small bowl.
9. Add the apples, 1/4 cup sugar, and dried cranberries to the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook for about 5 minutes until the apples begin to release their juices.
10. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and stir the cranberry mixture and tapioca into the apple mixture.
11. Pour the mixture into an 8x8-inch baking dish, smoothing the surface with a spatula.
12. Scatter the refrigerated topping evenly over the filling and bake (on a baking sheet to catch drips) for about 30 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
13. Cool on a wire rack for and serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Pulse flour, sugars, cinnamon, and butter in food processor.

Add oats and use fingers to create peanut-sized clumps. Set topping aside.

Cook cranberries with sugar and water.

Cook apples with sugar and dried cranberries.

Combine the apple and cranberry mixtures and pour into baking dish.

Add the topping, bake, cool, and serve.