eclaire (what’s in a) name?

i love all things with fruit and butter and sugar – crisps, tarts, pies, cobbler – you name it, and i’ll bet that i love it!

so it’s fitting that, way back in june of 2008, i experimented with making my own crisp topping – sans recipe - and blogged the creation as the first recipe on eclaire.name.

i’ve been tinkering with that recipe for almost two years, and after making it for our recent dinner party, i finally loved the results enough to share with you (again)!

i think the best thing about this topping is that you could put it over any fruit – berries, stone fruits, apples, or any combination of the above, and it will be absolutely delicious! so find whatever fruit is in season or in your freezer, and make this versatile crisp! i’ll bet you end up eating the leftovers for breakfast…just a guess…

one year ago: wild rice and chickpea soup

apple crisp

yields 6-8 servings

• 1/3c raisins
• 1c hot water
• 1t vanilla extract
• 3/4c flour
• 3/4c oats
• 2/3c brown sugar
• 1t cinnamon
• 1/2t nutmeg
• 1/2c butter, softened
• 4 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/3c pecans, broken
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1. preheat the oven to 350º
2. place the raisins in a bowl and pour the hot water and vanilla over them
3. in a separate bowl, mix the flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg together, then work in the butter – i use my hands, but you could use a wooden spoon if you’d prefer – until thoroughly combined
4. place the pieces of apples into an 8×8″ baking dish
5. pour lemon juice over the top of the apples and toss
6. drain the raisins, and toss the raisins and pecans with the apples, then press them down into the pan
7. sprinkle the topping over the apple mixture
8. bake for 35-45 minutes, or until apples are soft and crisp is hot and starting to get dark around the edges
9. if you’d prefer to substitute berries or another type of fruit, substitute the apples, pecans, and raisins for 3c of berries or diced fruit at room temperature, and enjoy!