Makes 8 servings
This is an unusual crisp. Instead of tossing fruit with some sugar and topping it with an oatmeal mix, I pour a simple custard over the apples and finish the crisp with streusel. Think crustless tart.
The crisp leans toward France, but not in any strict way. The apples that I use most often in the kitchen are Fujis and Galas, but the apple of choice in France is the Golden Delicious, an apple we American bakers shrug off as uninteresting. Here’s the surprise: It’s lovely in this crisp. Of course you can use any apples you like, or have on hand, but if you’re shopping for the crisp, pick up Golden Delicious apples and give them a try.
I’ve gone easy on the streusel, speckling rather than spackling the top of the crisp so that the apples and custard peek through, but please, feel free to cover the fruit completely — for those of us who love crunch, there can never be too much streusel. Any leftover streusel can be baked in a 350-degree-F oven until golden, cooled and served over ice cream or pudding.
Working Ahead
The streusel should be chilled for at least 1 hour, and it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
To make the streusel: You can make the streusel by hand or in a mixer: Whisk the flour, both sugars, the cinnamon and salt together in a bowl (or the mixer bowl). Drop in the cubes of cold butter and toss everything together with your fingers until the butter is coated.
If you’re making the streusel by hand, squeeze and rub the ingredients together until you’ve got moist clumps and curds. Pinch a bit of the streusel, and it should hold together. Sprinkle over the vanilla and toss to blend. If you’re working with a mixer, fit it with the paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed until the ingredients form moist, clumpy crumbs. Reaching this stage takes longer than you think it will — you might have to mix for 5 to 10 minutes. When the grainy crumbs have turned moist and formed clumps and curds, sprinkle over the vanilla and mix until blended.
Refrigerate the streusel in a covered container for at least 1 hour. (The streusel can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
To make the crisp: Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 375 degrees F. Place a 9-inch pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Toss the apples into the pie plate, spreading them evenly. If they mound in the center, that’s fine. Stir in the lemon or lime zest and juice.
In a medium bowl, whisk the cream, brown sugar, spice (if you want a bit), egg and yolk together for a minute to blend thoroughly. Whisk in the Calvados or rum, if you’re using it, and the vanilla. Pour the custard over the apples and jiggle the apples and/or the pie plate to encourage the custard to slide into all the spaces.
Scatter over about half of the streusel — that’s as much as I usually use, but if you’d like more, scatter over more. Tap the streusel lightly with your fingers so that it “sticks” to the crisp.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the streusel is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center of the crisp comes out clean. If it looks as if the crisp is browning too quickly or too much, tent it loosely with foil. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let the crisp rest before serving it only just warm or at room temperature. Ice cream or whipped cream is optional but nice.
Storing: “Here today, gone tomorrow” is custard’s fate, but if you can’t bear to bid farewell to any leftovers, don’t — refrigerate them and enjoy them straight from the fridge the next day.
To make a more traditional topping for this or any crisp, whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup rolled oats (not instant), ¼ cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons sugar, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt and, if you’d like, ½ teaspoon cardamom (or ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg). Cut 1 stick (8 tablespoons) very cold unsalted butter into small pieces and drop the bits into the bowl. Using your hands, mash and rub the ingredients together until they form moist clumps. Stir in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. If you’ve got time, chill the topping for at least 1 hour before using it.