This recipe is “As American as Apple Pie” and can be made on the stovetop with apples or any fruit of your choosing. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. It comes together quickly when cooked in a skillet, but it can also be baked, the traditional way. It is very forgiving, therefore any varieties of apples will work. Also, other nuts can be substituted for the almonds. Pecans or chopped walnuts work really well! It was a fun dish to cook together virtually, because of the opportunities it presented to converse about varieties of apples, as well as to learn and share food related idioms.
The recipe serves four, but in my household, two of us splurged and finished the whole skillet, topped with whipped cream.
For the topping: In a small bowl, stir together the flour, almonds, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add butter to flour mixture and stir until small clumps form. Heat mixture in pan on low heat until golden brown (6 to 9 minutes). Spread topping on a large plate to cool.
2. For the filling: Core and slice apples. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, apples, and sugar mixture. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are almost softened (8-10 minutes). Remove lid and cook until apples are cooked through and mixture has thickened slightly (about 5 minutes more).
4. Pour mixture into a serving dish or individual cups or bowls. Sprinkle topping on apples. If desired, serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Diane Zatz is a graphic designer, educator, and Associate Editor of The Cook’s Cook. Diane and her husband divide their time between Philadelphia and their family farm in Lancaster County, Pa. They enjoy their off-screen time planting seeds and pulling weeds.