Kicking off fall with a delicious vintage apple crisp recipe

Proclaiming, cutely, that "the toppings on apples makes this apple dessert tops", I knew that this vintage recipe was just the one that I wanted to use as the first of the fall season, a time that is as inherently connected to apples as winter is to snow.

I'm a huge fan of apples, and have grown to love and appreciate them even more over the years, especially once they became one of only a very small handful of fruits my health permits me to partake of any more. From tart Granny Smiths to sublimely juicy Pink Ladies, there's scarcely a variety of apple out there that I don't adore sinking my teeth into, especially when they're at the peak of their growing season like they are now.

The Okanagan Valley were I live in renowned for its apples and it never fails to disappoint come fall. Thousands upon thousands of red, green, yellow and burgundy orbs cling to the seemingly countless apple trees around these parts, just beckoning one to plunk a piece of fruit, dust it off on their shirt, and chomp right in.

Not one to steal however, I prefer to get my apples from either a local fruit stand or supermarket - picking your own from an orchard is also a great option, but not always the quickest one, if you suddenly need a basket of apples for that evening's dessert - like that in today's scrumptious old school recipe for apple crisp.

{A timeless fall classic that never, ever goes out of style, apple crisp is the kind of warm, sweet, wonderful dessert that always pleases table guests of all ages. Image via Eudaemonius on Flickr.}


Apple crisp was a standard, and much loved, dish in our home when I was growing up, and to this day I still prefer to serve it with wedges of thick, well aged cheddar cheese and frosty vanilla ice cream, just as my mother often did when we were young.

While this particular recipe differs somewhat from my family's classic (which includes an oat crumble top), it certainly doesn't sound any less delicious (especially if you swap the shortening for butter or margarine). I'd up the quantity of cinnamon and perhaps toy with the idea of a pinch of nutmeg or allspice, too, but otherwise I’d likely leave it exactly as it is.

Should your area still happen to have a glut of pears at the moment, too, you could absolutely make this dish with them instead of (or as a 50/50 mix) using apples. In the warmer months, peaches and plums are both shinning stars in fruit crumbles, and you can always turned to frozen or canned fruits in the wintertime.

Summer may be done and over for another year, but with desserts as sweet and wonderful as this, I don't think it will be hard to welcome autumn with open arms - and eager forks - once more, do you?  

Celebrate the merging of two season with vintage Citrus Pear Pie

✯ Day 250 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

With each passing September day we're nearing ever close to a new season, to summer's retirement, and to the especially lovely harvest that this season brings forth. For the moment though, hanging out on the seventh day of the month, a new school year just starting to get under way, there's still a summery note in the air.

The two seasons are charging head on, meshing up for a few short weeks in a burst of golden light and temperatures that still permit open-toed shoes and stocking-less legs. During this brief window we have the luxury of picking foods from both seasonal camps. Tart, energizing summer flavours and mellow, hearty autumn ingredients.

Today's vintage recipe for Citrus Pear Pie has a soft of contemporary fusion to its name that belies the fact that its decades old. Though one might not think of pears and lemons as making the best culinary bedfellows, when you stop and reflect on the fact that most apple pies include at least a squeeze of lemon, the combination really isn't that bizarre.

{Click here for a larger version of this delightful vintage Citrus Pear Pie recipe. Image by way of Eudaemonius on Flickc.}

Calling for a just small handful of easy to come by ingredients, this pie is a snap to put together. There are many, many fantastic varieties of pears on the market these days (even most smaller sized grocery stores stock at least four or five come September), however I'm particularly fond of using Bosc and red Italian pears for baked desserts.

Boscs generally hold up extremely well, even under long cooking times, and red Italian pears are often beautifully sweet and juicy, which would make them a good counterpoint to the zesty lemon in this yesteryear recipe.

Pears are my second favourite fruit of all time (with raspberries edging them out ever-so-slightly), and come their relatively short peak season, I cook with them like mad. Using them to use in everything from pork loin dishes to bread puddings, spice muffins to other baked treats like this week's yummy sounding Citrus Pear Pie.

After all, before we can say “vintage dessert”, these last few days of summer will be over and the magical between-the-seasons period just a pleasant memory. We’ve got to nab our most beloved seasonal produce while it’s still on the shelves and whisk it quickly to our tables!