Lidia Bastianich reminds us that the simple, kind gesture of cooking for others can make a big impact. In Season 10, Episode Six she baked a classic Thanksgiving dessert, an apple cranberry crumble.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE FILLING:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces, plus 1 tablespoon, softened, for the baking dish
- 3 pounds cooking apples, such as Golden Delicious, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
FOR THE TOPPING:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup chopped almonds
- ¾ cup rolled oats (old-fashioned, not instant)
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- kosher salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, slightly softened
TO PREPARE
FILLING
STEP ONE. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large cast-iron skillet.
STEP TWO. Combine the apples, cranberries, granulated sugar, flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl and toss well. Transfer to the skillet. Dot the top with the cold butter pieces.
TOPPING
STEP THREE. Wipe out the bowl and make the topping. Add the flour, almonds, oats, brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon salt to the bowl. Toss to combine. Cut the butter into five or six pieces. Work the butter in with your fingers until the topping is evenly moistened.
STEP FOUR. Drop the cookies in heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies, in three rows of five. Bake, rotating the trays from top to bottom halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and golden at the edges, about 16 to 18 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
STEP FIVE. Squeeze clumps of the topping in your palm, a few tablespoons at a time, and scatter them over the fruit. Bake until the crumble topping is golden and crisp and the fruit juices are bubbly, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
