I’ve been readying holiday cranberry recipes for decades–everything from simple sauce to homey cran-apple crisps like this one. It’s colorful, zesty, easy-to-make and always well received. It’s from my Dream Desserts cookbook, which came out in the 1990s.
Cranberries have been on the American culinary scene for centuries. The pic shows a New Jersey cranberry farm I visited several years ago. The berries were afloat and being wet-harvested while I was there. For highlights of the cranberry’s colorful history and pics of bogs during harvest time, check here.
Tip: This homey dessert is tangy-tart. For a tamer taste, add several extra tablespoons brown sugar to the recipe. And for maximum mellowing, serve a scoop of ice cream on the side!
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose or unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons corn oil or canola oil
3 2/3 cups peeled and diced Stamen, Rome or other tart, flavorful apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 2/3 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) unsweetened cranberries, chopped
Ice cream for garnish, optional
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 7 1/2- by 11-inch baking dish.
Stir together oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Using forks or fingertips, cut in butter and oil until thoroughly incorporated. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and zest until well combined. Stir in cranberries. Reserve scant 1 cup oat mixture for topping. Add remainder of oat mixture to fruit, tossing until well mixed. Spread mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle reserved oat mixture over top.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until mixture is bubbly and nicely browned on top and apples in center are tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
Makes about 6 servings.
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