Pie season is upon us. The holidays are resplendent with the flakey creations in more flavors than I can count and every get together has instructions to bring a side or dessert. Pie is the classic sweet choice, but we’re all about making life as easy as possible, aren’t we?

Enter the Apple Crisp.

With the nostalgic filling of classic apple pie and delicious topping that does not require pie crust, it’s a dream for anyone whose been intimated by the thought of making homemade crust.

It takes a fraction of the time to make and the only way you can screw it up is if you forget about it in the oven …

This recipe is also my confirmation that many recipes from the Tartine bakery book are easier than you might think. Each recipe I've tackled has been totally manageable and this one may be the easiest of all. Cut the apples, toss with some sugar and spice, mix butter flour sugar and spices, and then mix it all together in a baking dish.

Check out the recipe below and get the book here.

Tartine’s Apple Crisp

Serve with vanilla ice-cream because if you don’t, what’s the point?

Ingredients

3 lbs assorted apples(1.3 kg)
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zest of, grated
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350oF. Butter the bottom of the sides of a 9x13 baking dish. Peel (some or all, as you prefer)core and slice the apples, and place in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, stir together sugar, lemon juice and zest and salt. Add to the apples and toss together well with your hands. Transfer the apples to the prepared baking dish, and shake the dish to settle the apples into the crevices.
To make the topping, place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Using mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed or wooden spoon, beat together until smooth. Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt and mix just until the mixture comes together in a smooth dough.
To top the crisp, scoop up palm-sized balls of the dough, flatten each scoop as if you were making a ¼ inch thick tortilla, and lay it on top of the apples. Cover the entire surface of the apples with dough rounds. Gaps in the topping are okay; they will allow the steam to escape during baking.
Bake the crisp until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown, about 1 ½ hours. If the top is getting too dark before the crisp is done, cover it with aluminium foil. Let cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. The crisp will keep well in the refrigerator up to a week.

Conclusion

I am not the biggest fan of pie, but my husband is and every fall he makes more than one request for pie. This is a fantastic recipe to bring all of the flavors of pie without having to devote hours to making the perfect pie crust. The topping is a great recipe for your repertoire to throw together for any last minute fruit-based dessert.