Apple Pear Crisp

I am really pissed off at this weather. It is just barely mid September and it is freezing outside. This is Toronto. We should be having a lovely, long, hot September, not a cold, windy, overcast September and I am about to just quit. I am not sure what I am quitting exactly, but I quit.

The only good thing about this stupid weather is the fact that it felt like the right time to make an apple crisp. I got all exited about doing something new, maybe adding some chunks of dark chocolate with some crunchy nuts or something and made the mistake of musing out loud so that Shack got wind of my plans. I swear to god, this guy is turning into his father over night. Suddenly, there is only ONE way to eat apple crisp, three ways to eat pasta and the only thing I am allowed to add to homemade ice cream are either raspberries or strawberries. 

I said to him "you do realize that I am a food blogger, right? I won't have much to write about if I can only make apple crisp with cinnamon and butter every single time I make it" 

At this point, The Kid pipes up "I think chocolate would be great in an apple crisp"

Thank you son.

Anyway, to make us both happy, I made it his way but I snuck in a bit of cardamom and some pumpkin seeds for a bit of extra crunch. I was thinking of putting pistachios in there instead but I want this to go to school for lunch and you can't send anything with nuts to schools here. As it happens, the pumpkin seeds were perfect - just the right amount of crunch and the flavour isn't as overpowering as pistachio so it was a win, win all around. Shack didn't even notice the cardamom so he thinks he won as well so everyone is happy.

The next one is getting dark chocolate in it and he will just have to learn to suck it up.

Apple Pear Crisp

adapted from My Baking Addiction

4 large gala apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
4 small Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
juice of 1 limes
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbls AP flour
1 tbls cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
Topping: 
1 1/4 cups old fashion oats
1 cup AP flour
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F and butter a baking dish that will fit your fruit. I used a Le Crueset 1.1L dish
Toss your fruit with the lime juice in a big bowl. Now mix in the sugars, flour and spices and our the fruit into your baking dish.

In another bowl, mix together the oats, flour, pumpkin seeds, brown sugar and spices until its well mixed. Now add the vanilla to the butter, give it a stir and pour it over the dry ingredients and mix completely. I start with a wooden spoon and then get in there and mix it with my hand until the butter it fully incorporated and its got a mealy texture. Spoon this topping over your fruit and spread it around until the fruit is totally covered.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is nicely browned and you can see the juices bubbling up at the sides.

serve warm (it's always great with vanilla ice cream)