Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Yesterday's entry got me really thinking about Thanksgiving. My family - 2 of my 3 brothers, their familes, and up until now my parents - gets together every year. We've done this for almost 10 years. This will be our 5th year staying at a resort in Hot Springs. The resort we use is not the fanciest place in town but it's perfect for the kids - it's on the lake, there is a playground and a peninsula with tennis courts, mini golf and LOTS of space to run around and play ball. There is a small island nearby and last year the lake was low enough for us to just walk out and explore. Hot Springs gives us plenty to do as well. We've enjoyed the Mid-America Science Museum (a hands on children's museum) for several years. There are also Duck Tours, hikes, walks around Bathhouse Row, and much more!

The first year we went to Hot Springs was 2005. We were in the middle of one of the most horrible times of our lives, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We were just looking forward to getting to a place where every tree wasn't broken or knocked over! At that point in my life I was ready to get back into cooking, something I had largely given up (other than the most basic dishes so my family could eat) way back in '00 when I went on bed rest. I searched around for some new and different things to try.

This dessert was one of them. The adults loved it, the kids not so much. That was the year I decided to let them choose a dessert for holiday meals, after all shouldn't they have something they like, too? They just aren't into the fancy stuff. So for them I still make plain apple crisp, at their request, every holiday meal. But the adults loved this, and I plan to make it again this Thanksgiving. It came from the Food Network website. Enjoy!

Apple Cranberry Crisp

• 4 large, sweet, firm apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 pieces (about 2 pounds)
• 1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed well
• 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups grated white cheddar
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, cranberries, walnuts, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, and toss well to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. Blend the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour the fruit mixture into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until bubbly and the apples are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 6 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream on top.