Tuesday, November 3, 2009

TWD: Cran-Apple Crisp


November is a special month for Tuesdays With Dorie: we are permitted to post the recipes any Tuesday we want, as some of the desserts are suitable for Thanksgiving. As evident from my inability to post anything for weeks other than baking group desserts, I need as much structure as possible in my baking/blogging right now, so I thought I would stick with the schedule and post the recipes in the order they were selected, just in case I accidentally forgot about one at the end or something. But then I got busy this weekend and there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to fit in an elaborate layer cake by Tuesday, so I decided to swap the Chestnut Cake scheduled for today, with the less time-consuming Cran-Apple Crisp(s) slated for next Tuesday. (And confession: I was initially hoping to do a double-header this week and also make the one recipe I haven’t completed since I joined Tuesdays With Dorie one year ago. Oh well.)



The cranberries I purchased were much more red and robust than the ones I bought to make sorbet a few weeks ago (I couldn’t resist, I was just so happy to see cranberries) and the apples I sampled were crispy with just a hint of tartness, so I have high hopes for the flavor of this dessert, which is still cooling. Oh, Josh just came up with a huge bowl of crisp smothered in ice cream and it’s yummy. I made a half recipe in a 7-inch pie pan – I find this size pan perfect for half recipes and also portion control, since it’s not small-looking at all – and it baked up nicely in forty minutes. The only thing I did not halve was the coconut in the topping: I quartered that so the flavor wouldn’t dominate too much. I’m not sure about coconut and cranberries together. This crisp rated a 7.5 for Deliciousness and a 2 for Effort, giving it an EDR of 3.75. Many thanks to Em of the Repressed Pastry Chef for selecting this great dessert. The recipe will be on her site next Tuesday, and stop by the Tuesdays With Dorie site to see what everyone else chose to bake this week.





One of the things that kept me busy over the weekend was attending Northern California Weimaraner Rescue’s annual Weim Gala. Josh and I attended last year as prospective dog owners and it was fun, though not as relaxing, to attend it with our own dog this year. Eloise was even in the Parade of Rescued Weims, which is the closest she’ll ever come to being in a dog show (seriously, I’m beginning to see why the Weimaraner owners in “Best in Show” were so snippy – it’s hard to control your frenzied animal at a big event). Anyway, it was a beautiful afternoon in wine country and we managed to refrain from coming back with another dog.

19 comments:

Hindy said...

That's a lovely dish you've used. I can't wait to make the crisp. I'm glad it was enjoyed!

Unknown said...

I hear you on the structure. I missed TWD last week and almost skipped again this week due to poor planning. If we'd had to make the cake this week it simply wouldn't have happened for me! I'm really looking forward to the crisp, especially since it's an easy one :) Yours looks terrific!

Eloise is so gorgeous! Glad you guys had fun at the gala.

JoAnn Freda said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JoAnn Freda said...

Okay, I've seen you walk Eloise before and I seriously can't believe that you managed to hold onto that glass of wine while holding onto your weim on a leash with the other hand.

Amber Marie said...

Eloise looks adorable for the parade! I also wanted to follow the regular schedule, but I'm glad the crisps turned out so well! It would have been a double blow if not.

Megan said...

My dad actually asked for ice cream to go with his crisp - but I didn't have any!

I didn't know Eloise was a rescue dog - and congrats to her for being in the parade!

TeaLady said...

A beautiful red dish with beautiful red cranberries. Perfect!! I am so looking forward to making this next week.

I will definitely look for some nice tart/sweet apples for this one.

Beautiful dog!

Anonymous said...

Your crisp looks great. I'm looking forward to making this one!

Your dog is beautiful. How nice to take her and have her be in the parade!

Pamela said...

The crisp looks great, especially the serving with ice cream. Yum!

margot said...

@Jo Ann: You're right, we "accidentally" grabbed a better-behaved weim.

Jacque said...

LOL, your weimeriner event sounds a lot like going out in public with young children.

Anyway, your crisp looks delish! Thanks for the hints on pan size and time for a half-batch. I'm going to downsize this one too.

Jaime said...

love your dish - great job

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to make this...I think I'm making it tonight.

Gorgeous dog!

Leslie said...

You're smarter than I am. I'm still struggling through the chocolate chestnut cake and it's Thursday! I like your idea of making half the recipe for the crisp, and after seeing yours, I can't wait to try it!

Nancy/n.o.e said...

My Australian Shepherd was in a rescue parade one time and she got a huge ribbon (they all did) - I had such a great time hanging that up at home even if she didn't actually do anything for it!

That pie plate is so pretty and the crisp looks quite inviting and delicious. We loved this crisp, but I subbed pecans in the topping for the coconut. My baking dish was so shallow, my quarter recipe looked huge. My hubs said "I can't eat that much" - amazing how that portion control works. I breathed a sigh of relief about the flexibility of TWD in November - the cake would have done me in last week!

But I'm still trying to contain my astonishment that you ONLY HAVE ONE MORE TWD RECIPE until you're caught up!

Susan said...

Your crisp looks amazing! I am making this one for Thanksgiving dessert! Love your dog!

Cakelaw said...

Your crisp looks delicious - one big one was a good idea. Eloise is adorable!!

Anonymous said...

I second the need for structure! This is a BUSY time of year!

I must admit, I look forward to pictures of Eloise more than I do the goodies ;)

She's a doll!!

Anonymous said...

Your cran-apple crips look delicious - especially with ice cream! I LOVED this recipe, didn't know I would love baked cranberries as much as I do now! Eloise looks soo playful and cute with her holiday decorations! =)