Submitted by Guy Plunkett III, who highly recommends using Lodi apples from Ela Orchard in Rochester, WI.
After discovering the apples at the Dane County Farmers' Market while in graduate school in 1975, Plunkett says Robert Willard (one of the owners of Ela Orchard) "has been my apple guy ever since."
"My wife, Joanne, would rather have an apple crisp than a cake for her late-July birthday and the Lodis come in right around that time," Plunkett says. "[Lodi apples] are the first apples of the season."
"Every year, Bob asks me if [the apples] came in on time. I don't expect him to remember the date, but he remembers that Lodis and her birthday are at about the same time."
Ingredients
3 lbs (7-8) large, tart cooking apples
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
Whipped cream (not too stiff) or ice cream for serving
This recipe is easy to scale based on the crowd you're feeding. Guy often uses a 9" x 13" baking dish with about 5 lbs of apples, and 1.5 times the crumble topping.
Preparation
Peel, core, and slice the apples into a 7" x 7" baking dish.
In a large mixing bowl, work together the flour, brown sugar, and butter with a pastry cutter, a couple of knives, or your fingers until you achieve a crumbly texture.
Spread the mixture over the apples and bake at 375℉ for about 30 minutes, or until the apples are tender.
Serve hot or cold with whipped cream, or vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.