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Strawberry-Apple Bake Carol Rosenstock This is partially a Weight Watchers dessert, but I have experimented and made changes, especially with the topping. Food Editor's Notes: This is an absolutely delicious fruit dessert that is basically a crisp. Strawberries and apples are two of the healthiest fruits. The strawberries should remain whole and the apple slices should be very thin, so that they cook down to a consistency that is both soft (the berries) and chewy (the apples), with the crunchy topping for added texture. I made this in an 8 X 8-inch glass baking dish and it came out perfect in 20 minutes, and looked great as well! The only limitation with a crisp dessert is that the topping only remains crunchy while warm or at room temperature – once it is refrigeratored, and certainly with any reheating in the microwave, the topping becomes mushy, although still tasty. So prepare the ingredients – except the apple slices which will discolor – in advance, and then just assemble and bake before sitting down to dinner. It will be just right an hour later – and gone completely shortly after that! Ingredients Topping: 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 3/4 cup flour 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup unsalted butter or pareve margarine, cut up and chilled 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted until golden Filling: 3 Empire or other firm apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced 2 cup fresh or frozen unsweetened whole strawberries 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1. In a bowl with a metal palette knife or pastry blender, work the sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and butter or margarine together, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. [Food Editor's note: I used 2 knives, and then a wide-tined fork to do this, not mashing the butter into the dry ingredients, but just trying to break it up. I even used my fingers a bit at the end.] 2. Stir in the pecans and set the topping aside. 3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 10 X 6-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. 4. Arrange the apples and strawberries in the dish. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and cinnamon mixture. 5. Spread the topping evenly on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm. Carol Rosenstock is a frequent contributor to ShalomBoston.com. An empty nester, Carol and her husband Steven live in Needham. Carol enjoys cooking and baking and loves to try new recipes. She is active in Women's American Ort and was the chair of the cookbook committee for Temple Aliyah of Needham's fabulous cookbook, Even More Delicious!. (The cookbook is still available through Temple Aliyah.) Strawberry Apple Bake ShalomBoston.com
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