Bye, Bye, American Pie

[elleng]

Bittman

If I’m going to sweeten, embellish and cook fresh fruit — in other words, make it into a dessert — I want every additional ingredient to pull its weight. To me, pie crust usually doesn’t cut it. But a streusel topping of butter, oats, nuts and cinnamon never fails to whet my appetite. Neither does a little sweetened cream or fresh cheese drizzled over the fruit and broiled to make a gratin, or a pancake-style batter poured over it to create the eggy baked French dessert known as a clafoutis. Sometimes I dispense with any topping at all and just gently poach some fruit in a little sweetened liquid — water or wine, infused with spices or herbs or nothing at all — for a dessert that’s killer on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

The ideas in the recipes are intended to be messed with, especially when it comes to the fruit: feel free to use raspberries instead of blackberries, or nectarines instead of mangos.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/magazine/mark-bittman-bye-bye-american-pie.html?ref=dining

[pengillian101]

1. Agreed - a Crisp is best.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/apple-crisp/3715a45c-3c00-430c-bbe2-9865f9013238

Betty Crocker's Apple Crisp



The perfect recipe for an abundant apple season. After one taste, you’ll want to make it again and again.
(422 Ratings)
Member Reviews (117)

Apple Crisp

PREP TIME 20 Min
TOTAL TIME 50 Min
SERVINGS 6

4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced (4 cups)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cream or Ice cream, if desired


1 Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with shortening.
2 Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except cream until well mixed; sprinkle over apples.
3 Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with cream.


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This is an easy, peasy, tried-and true-recipe for fruit crisps I have made many times since 1971, when I received Betty's recipe book as a wedding shower gift from my ex-hubby's Mom. Best gift ever - still use it today with all my notations of my twists and turns of tweaking the recipes.

Change up the fruit at will. And make your own fruit crisp with this topping. Fail-safe recipe as far as I'm concerned.

[elleng]

2. Thanks for this!

Used to make crisps myself in the '70s; forget the recipe. Similar to this, I think.

[Denninmi]

3. I like Bittman.

He's kind of a strange man, but he has interesting ideas.