Crispy Tuesday: The Best Peach Crisp and Apple Crisp Ever

Ah, Crispy Tuesday... Who knew there was such a thing? Okay there isn't, to my knowledge, but there should be!

I've been makin' a bunch of fruit crisps lately because lately there's been, well, a bunch of fruit. We're in the most delicious time of year, fruit-wise -- the brief weeks around Labor Day when peach and apple season overlap in this lovely duet of luscious, juice-laden, vitamin-packed glory. And when you add to that fact the facts that I love crisps, and Al loves crisps, and Bean loves crisps, and Peabody duddn' love anything but mac'roni chee and bawbebbies, it's pretty much a no-brainer that I'm churning out crisps right n' left and that three of us here at FriedOkra Manor have died and gone to heaven.

Before we start, I think it is important to point out that in order for the flavor of a crisp to be absolutely perfect, you need to choose very fresh, perfectly ripe fruit. I had to go to two places yesterday to find apples that would make the cut for last night's dessert. If it's worth cooking, it's worth cooking right!

Also imperative to note is that you must always, whether it's spoken in your head or aloud, pronounce the word "crisp" like this:

creeeeeeee-yiiii-uhsssp

Otherwise you'll go to all this work and end up with just a pan of ol' cooked fruit and some oatmeal stuff thrown on top.

Practice the proper pronunciation a time or two 'til you have it down before you even THINK of makin' a crisp, okay? And please, non-Southerners? Take it nice and slow until you've got your feet under you, or you could trip over a long, trailing, molasses-drippin' syllable and hurt your sweet little self.

Trust me, y'all.

Peach Crisp

Ingredients:

4 -5 cups fresh peaches, sliced
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons flour, divided
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup butter, softened

Optional: Whipped or ice cream or vanilla glaze ( recipe below).

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Mix together peaches, almond extract, cinnamon, sugar and 3 tablespoons flour. Add to pan. Mix rest of flour, oats and brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle oatmeal mixture over peaches. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes


Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

8 - 10 apples, peeled and cubed (3/4 inch-ish)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar, depending on the sweetness of your selected apple
1 cup plus a rounded Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
a couple of pinches of freshly ground nutmeg
2 pinches of salt
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup butter, softened

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Mix together apples, melted butter, lemon juice, sugar, the one rounded tablespoon of flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt in a big bowl. Pour into a 9 x 13" casserole dish. Mix oats, the remaining cup of flour, brown sugar and a pinch of salt together. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apple mixture and pat down. Bake 45-50 minutes.

Optional glaze for both crisps:

1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
about 2 Tbsp milk

Add vanilla to confectioners sugar and stir. Add milk a little at a time while stirring until mixture becomes of a thick but pourable consistency. Allow crisp to cool before drizzling this mixture lightly over the top.

Remember now:

Creeee-yiiiii-uhssssp.



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