During my husband and I’s recent visit to France, I was fortunate enough to enjoy some of my mother-in-law’s (I refer to her as Nana Banana) exquisite home-cooked meals.  Upon our return back home with a few Gala apples in my possession, I couldn’t help but pay tribute to her unforgettable apple crisp that still lingers in my mind.

Ingredients:

APPLE FILLING-

• 6 peeled Gala apples (or similar), sliced/chopped to a ¼-inch thick
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt

CRISP TOPPING–

• 1 packet instant oats (alternatively 1 cup old-fashioned oats)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch cubes

Recipe Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350° F with the rack in the middle position.  Then, lightly grease up your baking dish.  Ready, set, bake!

THE FILLING-

1. Combine apple filling ingredients in a large bowl: apples, flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

THE TOPPING-

1. To prepare the dry ingredients, take a large bowl and mix oats, flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Blend cold butter cubes with oat mixture until pea-sized.
   

THE APPLE CRISP-

1. Let’s give those apples a good stir again, shall we? We want everything to be well combined for maximum flavor.  Once we’re done, pour the delicious apple mixture and all of its goodness into the dish.  Sprinkle on the crisp topping.
2. In just 40-50 minutes, the topping will be lightly browned and the filling will be bubbly on the sides of the baking dish.  Once it’s ready, you can serve it warm or at room temperature.  Get ready to enjoy a mouth-watering treat. Perhaps indulged with a side of ice cream!