Apple crisps are one of my all time favorite desserts although I don't know exactly what it is about them that I love. I guess it's the fact that it's basically an apple pie without the crust and has this awesome crumbly and crunchy topping. I mean, screw the crust what you can get that instead. Then, you put a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream and, "Bam!" you make something pretty awesome into something even more awesome. To top it off, these were so easy to make. Baking is magical I tell ya.
Phil bought a few Braeburn apples, which turned out to be too mealy for my liking. If you follow this blog at all, you can tell by now that I can hardly let anything go to waste in my house without trying to cook it or put in the oven first. So, apple crisps they became.
I used a modified version of
this recipe based on what I did and didn't have already. I don't usually go around changing recipes because that almost never works out for me but this time I felt pretty comfortable omitting some things since it's not as technical as cakes or cookies. I ended up yielding 2 oval creme brulee ramekins and 1 regular round 4 ounce ramekin, but I think this recipe could easily fill up 4 regular ramekins. I liked using the oval ones because the the crumble to apple ratio was higher.
The ice cream had been made a few days earlier.
Individual Apple Crisps
2 apples, peeled cored and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
Pinch of baking powder
4 tablespoons, melted and cooled
Preheat oven at 350˚F.
Arrange sliced apples in ramekins. In a bowl, mix together sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon flour and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over apples. Pour water evenly over apple and sugar mixture.
In another bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of flour, brown sugar, baking powder and butter until well mixed. Crumble over tops of apples.
Set ramekins on a baking sheet and bake at 350˚F for 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for approximating 10 minutes before serving.
Vanilla Ice Cream
3 cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean pod
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Place the half-and-half and the heavy cream into a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean down the middle and scrap out the seeds with the back of a knife. Put the contents of the pod and the pod itself in with the cream mixture. Over medium heat, bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about a third of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170˚ to 175˚F. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours.
Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.
