Apple Pear Crisp With Grappa Soaked Raisins And Polenta Topping Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch oval baking dish.
• For the topping: Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.
• Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.

Steps:

• To make the filling, in a large bowl, combine the raisins and grappa and let stand until most of the grappa has been absorbed, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Peel and core the apples and pears and cut them into 1/3-inch (8-mm) slices. Add the apple and pear slices to the grappa-soaked raisins along with the granulated sugar and vanilla. Toss well, then pack the mixture firmly into a 2-quart (2-liter) baking dish.
• To make the topping, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, nuts, brown sugar, polenta or cornmeal, and cinnamon a few times to combine. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is finely broken up. Continue to pulse until the mixture just begins to clump together.
• Scatter the topping evenly over the fruit. Bake until the topping is nicely browned and the fruit is tender (a sharp paring knife inserted into the center meets no resistance), about 50 minutes.
• Serve the crisp warm with a pitcher of cold heavy cream or scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream (page 143).
• The polenta topping can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.
• If you're avoiding alcohol, you can skip macerating the raisins. You can substitute dried cranberries or diced prunes for the raisins.
• To make an APPLE-BLACKBERRY CRISP, in place of the grappa-soaked raisins, use 1 1/4 cups (6 ounces/170 g) blackberries; increase the apples to 8 medium (4 pounds/2 kg); omit the pears; and use 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• While the crisp bakes, have a sheet of aluminum foil on the oven rack below the crisp to catch any overflow of juices.

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, cut together the topping ingredients with 2 knives until they are well combined and crumbly. Be sure the butter is evenly distributed in the mixture. If desired, freeze for up to 3 months, or use immediately.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In another large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and the tapioca and toss until evenly mixed. Add the pears and toss until they are evenly coated with the mixture. Mix in the raisins. Turn the fruit mixture into a 10 x 2 inch deep round baking dish, preferably glass. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top and bake the crisp for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, or until the topping is golden. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then serve warm accompanied by a dollop of Crema, if desired.
• Whisk the cream and the buttermilk together in a bowl. Cover and set in a warm place (a gas oven with just the heat from the pilot light is fine) for 8 hours. Crema may be kept in the refrigerator for as long as a week.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Toss pears with orange juice; place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, allspice and ginger; sprinkle over pears., For topping, in a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar and baking powder; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over pears., Bake until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm. If desired, garnish with mint.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Divide between two greased 8-oz. ramekins., In a small bowl, combine the flour, butter, brown sugar and pie spice; stir in oats and pecans. Sprinkle over fruit mixture., Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9 x 13 1/2-inch glass baking dish.
• For Topping:
• Mix old-fashioned oats, brown sugar, all purpose flour, ground cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Add unsalted butter and rub into mixture until coarse crumbs form. Mix in chopped walnuts.
• For Filling:
• Combine sliced apples, raisins, sugar, fresh lemon juice, flour and ground cinnamon in large bowl. Mix well to blend. Transfer apple-raisin filling to prepared dish. Spread topping over. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 55 minutes. Serve crisp warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream.