Market Life

 Texas, Fall and Apple Crisp - Oh My! 

Welcome Adrienne to Market Life!

Growing up in Texas, I didn’t realize the full beauty of fall until I moved to Washington, D.C. several years ago. The fabulous cool breezy weather and variety of golds and reds that pop up on the trees has easily made fall my favorite time of year. Walking and shopping through Eastern Market any day is a treat, but there is something special about the crisp fall air that gets me excited to throw on a scarf and walk over to Eastern Market and pick up some fresh produce to bake a tasty treat.

 Last weekend I specifically went to the market in search of apples to make an Apple Crisp. I ended up choosing Honey Crisp apples from the Agora Farms stand outside the main building. Agora Farms has a wide variety of apples available, I just went with Honey Crisp because I love the sweet flavor and these apples are not always available. Aside from Honey Crisp, Agora Farms has Gala and Fuji apples also readily available to purchase among a wide selection of seasonal produce.

I could tell many other people had the same idea, because Sunday afternoon there were not many Honey Crisp apples left to choose from, but nonetheless I found eight apples and went on my way.

Mixing up the ingredients was a breeze and as usual peeling the apples was the most tedious part of the recipe.

My friend hosted a fall themed get together this week, so I baked the crisp to take over and share. I served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Unfortunately my favorite vanilla ice cream, Blue Bell which is made in Texas cannot be found anywhere around the Washington, D.C. area, so I had to settle for Haagen Dazs. Adding cold ice cream on top of a warm crisp is a great finishing touch!

If you want to have a dessert that has the warm fall flavor of apple pie, but don’t have the time to make pie crust, try this apple crisp instead!

editor's note: how sweet are those pumpkin candles!?!

Ingredients:

    8 apples, peeled
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cup oats
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup cold butter

 Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. Use cooking spray to grease a 13x9 dish
3. Cut and peel apples into thin slices
4. Mix dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and then add in butter with a pastry cutter or smash with a spoon or fork until it appears crumbly
5. Sprinkle mixture over fruit.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until browned
7. Top should be browned
8. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top