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Apple Blueberry crisp

When I was a teenager my younger sister developed an allergy to apples. For a number of years we had a moratorium on apple pies, and she wasn’t allowed to eat apples out of the fruit bowl on the dining room table. The allergy passed and she is now able to savor delicious apples once again.

Preheat the oven to 350, butter your baking dish (a large shallow ceramic tart pan is best), make the crisp topping, then prepare the fruit.

This crisp topping is adapted from Deborah Madison’s fruit crisp topping in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Since I love the chewy texture of rolled oats AND the crisp crunch of nuts, I include both while cutting back on sugar. For an even nuttier flavor, use whole wheat pastry flour. To make this a vegan crisp topping, substitute EarthBalance soy-free spread for the butter.

6 Tbsp butter cut into small pieces (V) use Earth Balance soy-free spread
2/3 C brown sugar
1/2 C flour
1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 C nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds)
1/2 tsp salt

Toast the nuts lightly in a toaster oven or in a small skillet. Pay close attention. If you wait until you can smell the nuts it will be too late, they will be burned. Set aside to cool. When they’re cool enough to touch, chop them roughly until the pieces are the size of small peas. Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the chopped nuts and other dry ingredients and stir until you get a uniform mix of buttery crumbles. Set aside.

4 large apples
1 pint blue berries
1/2 lemon or 1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 C sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Squeeze the lemon, or add the lemon juice to a large bowl of water. This will prevent the apple slices from turning brown.

Rinse the blueberries. Slice and core the apples. You can peel them if you wish, but the skins are rich in nutrients and add color and texture to the dish. It seems a shame to throw them out. Place the slices in a large bowl of water while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, corn starch, and spices. Drain the apples then return them to the bowl. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over them and use a large spoon to turn them until all the pieces are coated. Add the blueberries and give the fruit a few more turns, just to incorporate the berries.  Transfer the fruit to your buttered baking dish.

Using your hands, sprinkle the crisp topping over the fruit,  spreading it evenly over the top. Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake until the top has browned and the juices at the edge are thick and bubbly, about 45-50 minutes.

Marinated Roasted Red Bell Peppers

4 Large red bell peppers, roasted (in a pinch, use bottled)

1/4 C olive oil
1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (think: oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil)
1 Tsp Salt
Ground black pepper to taste

Slice the roasted peppers into long strips about half an inch wide. If using peppers from a jar, rinse well before slicing. Transfer the slices and any juices into a bowl. Whisk remaining ingredients together and pour over the peppers.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Roasted Red Bell Peppers

Start with firm peppers that have thick juicy walls. Thin peppers are prone to burning. Remove the stem and cut the peppers into lengthwise quarters. Remove the seeds and any membrane. Line the broiler pan with a clean sheet of foil. Peppers leak as the roast, and can create a real mess.  Place peppers face down and slide the pan into the broiler so that the peppers are about 3 inches away from the flame. After 5 minutes being checking the peppers. The skins should blister and turn black. Don’t worry if not every speck of skin blisters or turns black. Once the peppers are uniformly blackened, use tongs to put the peppers into a plastic bag or a tightly covered glass dish. Let them steam for about 5 minutes. One by one, remove the peppers, and peel or rub the skin right off.

Store peppers in the refrigerator for up to one week, or in the freezer for 3 months.

See also:
Marinated red bell peppers
Roasted red bell pepper sauce

e pluribus chimpsum.

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