Fall Fruit Walnut Crisp

Guess what!? I'm back. I took a few days off to do some things. Secret things. Wouldn't you like to know? (You wouldn't. I'm not that cool.) I wasn't even gone that long. I just wanted to be dramatic about it and link to that Eminem video for mah girl Kerry (shout out!!!).

But anyway, I'm back and I've got more Fall stuff to make you roll your eyes. Apples! Pears! Cranberries! Walnuts! and BUTTER! (Yea, butter is totally a Fall staple. So is cheese. And squash.)

If anyone read my pumpkin pie with dark chocolate ganache recipe and still thinks they can't make pie crust despite my pleading and disco inspired persuasion, a crisp is a great way to fake it. I actually like crisps more than pies anyway. Brown sugar and butter bubble down from the crust and form a delicious sauce with the fruit in the bottom of the baking dish. The topping is sweet and crunchy and just the right amount pastry-y (you know what I'm talking about). You probably can't frost them though (or maybe you can - I'll work on that).

Then, you can get really lazy with me and not even peel your fruit. Well, some call this lazy, I think it makes it prettier. (Ok, it started as laziness, but I like the way it looks.)

Also, who knew there were this many different types of baked fruit desserts? I can't wait to make a grunt. Uuhhh. Bonus points if you know the difference between a betty and a cobbler without looking!

Soundtrack: The Non-Commissioned Officers (Myspace link)

Fall Fruit Walnut Crisp

3/4 c ap flour

3/4 c brown sugar

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 c chopped walnuts

1 stick (1/2 c) butter

2 medium Bartlett pears

1 medium Granny Smith apple

1 medium Gala apple

1/4 c craisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add to the bowl of a food processor the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and walnuts and pulse to combine. Cut butter into 8 pats and drop into the bowl. Pulse until just combined, being careful not to over-process. (Alternately, combine in a medium bowl and cut butter in using a pastry cutter or 2 knives. The knives thing is a PITA, trust me. It totally can be done, but you should get a food processor.) The mixture should look like coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Grease an 8x8 cake pan or baking dish. Core the apples and pears. Cut into cubes, but do not peel. Add to baking dish with craisins, evenly interspersing the fruit around the dish.

Top the fruit with the dough, adding in clumps. It should form an even crust once patted together.

Bake dish for 45-50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Serve warm and top with whipped cream (or even better, ice cream! I'd suggest vanilla, but Adam wanted chocolate.). 

Please, note the small white dog in the bottom right corner of
this photo, scavenging off the ground

Beautiful Fall colors!