Sasquatch Books

Rhubarb-Apple Crisp

Makes 8 to 10 servings

My mom would make apple crisp all the time when I was a kid—lots of it. She would always make a pan for the family and a whole other pan for me, because I would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I think the key is the crisp—you could almost eat the oat part on its own. Don’t be shy about the fat; it may seem like a lot of butter, but there needs to be an appropriate ratio of oats to fat to get that crisp crunch. At Skillet I’ve tried to carry forward this visceral memory from childhood, adding rhubarb to Mom’s plain apple. It’s got such a unique flavor and feels right for the Northwest.

For the topping:

1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour

1⁄2 cup loosely packed dark  brown sugar

1 cup rolled oats

1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted  butter, cut into small dice

1 tablespoon ground  cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 tablespoon salt

For the Filling:

6 apples, preferably granny  Smiths or galas, cored and  thinly sliced with the skin  still on

4 stalks rhubarb, cut into  1-inch pieces

1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour 1⁄2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon freshly grated  lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. To prepare the topping, mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl until the texture is coarse and crumbly. To prepare the filling, in a separate large bowl, mix all the ingredients until the fruit is well coated.

3. To assemble the crisp, place the fruit mixture in a large baking pan or cast-iron skillet. Top with the oat mixture, pressing down lightly and evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the sides of the crisp are bubbling. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.