Photo by David Moore

SWEET SPOT

Gingered Apple Crisp

Pie, despite what they tell you, is not as easy as pie. That honor should go to pie’s cornpone cousin, the crisp – the fool-proof solution for the home cook who can’t be bothered with chilling, rolling and folding. Just toss some fruit in a pan, sprinkle on a crumb topping, and bake. Sure, you’re missing a flaky crust, but are you missing that hour’s worth of work?

Pastry Chef Veronica Arroyo, who’s been with Bourbon Steak since 2008, has ingeniously combined the pie with the crisp, and added a twist: a cookie crust. “I want you to get a little bite of a flaky, buttery cookie at the end of your fork,” Arroyo says, so she lines the bottom of an individual-size cast iron skillet with a par-baked round of Breton dough, a style of “biscuit” from Brittany, France – land of the lashings of fresh cream butter.

Over that, she spreads a double hit of apples: a purée of Granny Smiths roasted with fresh ginger, vanilla, and a pinch of brown sugar, which is then tossed with diced fresh apples. Then she tops it all with a tumble of oats, sliced almonds, sugar, and butter.

The resulting gingered apple crisp ($9) is served with a trio of accoutrements (a Michael Mina hallmark) – a scoop of honey vanilla ice cream, a mound of unsweetened crème Chantilly (whipped cream) and a tiny pitcher of strawberry jus.

Presto. It’s as easy as ordering pie.

DETAILS
Bourbon Steak
7575 E. Princess Drive, Scottsdale
(Fairmont Scottsdale Princess)
480-585-4848
scottsdaleprincess.com