"Boscoe Bakes"... Zesty Apple Crisp

I've loved apple crisp since I was a little kid, and that's a long time since I'm 6'5". Maybe it was the apples that triggered the tall gene, I'll never know for sure.  One thing I do know, is that I became fanatical about perfecting the balance between the sweet crunchy topping (YUM) and the tart, semi firm composition of the luscious apple filling. I didn't want the topping to be too crunchy or overly sweet, and I wanted the apple filling to be just a tad tart and not mushy or too hard. So after years of experimenting with apple varieties, sugar, flour and or oatmeal toppings, wiping out countless apple orchards and playing around with the tartness and mouth feel components, I came up with the following recipe. I found that Granny Smith apples were the perfect starting point. They were firm, tart and held up nicely under fire. A topping made with flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg seemed to marry nicely with the apples, and a touch of zest added a special touch that made for a very harmonious union.  This delicious dessert is simple to make, elegant enough for company and guaranteed to disappear. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or lots of home made whipped cream. It is also wonderful at room temperature or even cold. If I have it made up in my freezer, I often serve this dessert with home made apple crisp ice cream. Now that's really taking it over the top, but the extra effort is certainly well worth the accolades you'll get in return. The recipe for this yummy dessert follows, and I'll post the recipe for my apple crisp ice cream in the near future. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

12 Granny Smith apples

1 zest of one orange

1 tablespoon dark rum

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon (heaping) cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

Peel, core and slice the apples. Cut slices into 1-inch chunks. Toss the apples with the zest, rum and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the apple mixture into an ungreased 13x9 inch baking dish. Using a pastry blender or your food processor, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until they resemble coarse bread crumbs. If doing this in your food processor, take care not to over blend. Scatter the topping evenly over the apples. Tap the dish a couple of times on the counter to settle in the crumbs.  Bake for 50 - 55 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Check apples with a skewer for your desired level of  firmness.