One for the Table: SweeTango season is the perfect time to make a crisp
New varieties of apples appear now and again, and the SweeTango is a relatively new one that's harvested the end of August and beginning of September. It's a very pretty apple with a bright mix of golden green and bright red.
The SweeTango is a cross between a Honeycrisp and a Zestar apple. Honeycrisp is sweet and crisp, and Zestar is juicy and zesty. The hybrid is good on its own, but you can use it for cooking too. It's a juicy apple, so it doesn't need additional liquid, and it is best for recipes that are fairly quick cooking because it gets very soft when cooked.
The SweeTango is perfect for apple crisp, which is super easy to make. Easier than pie or even a cobbler. It's the kind of thing that takes only minutes to prepare; then you can pop it in the oven after or even during dinner.
If you've ever ordered apple crisp in a restaurant, no doubt it was served in some kind of ramekin. Making individual portions of apple crisp is particularly convenient for my household of two. Each apple crisp uses a single apple. I like adding cinnamon to the apples, but you could add it to the crumble topping if you prefer.
Individual Apple Crisp
Serves 1
1 medium apple, such as SweeTango, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Cinnamon
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon rolled oats
1 tablespoon walnuts or pecans chopped
Preheat oven to at 375 F. Meanwhile, toss diced apples with sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Place apples in a ramekin, pressing down and compressing the apples so they fit snuggly.
In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Blend in oats and nuts. Sprinkle over apples.
Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until brown on top.
(Amy Sherman is a San Francisco-based writer, recipe developer, restaurant reviewer and all around culinary enthusiast who blogs for Epicurious and Cooking with Amy. One for the Table is Amy Ephron's online magazine that specializes in food, politics and love. www.oneforthetable.com.)
