Recently, I have been experimenting with adding herbs and other ingredients that are more commonly used in savory preparations into my dessert recipes. Fennel has been on my mind lately and with apples in season, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to try out the combination. This caramelized fennel apple crisp may sound a little unusual at first but let me say, it really works. I’m not usually one to give myself a pat on the back, but I was absolutely blown away by how delicious this crisp turned out. The fennel and apple combination is a dream.
This apple crisp has a deep, prominent apple flavor, which is complimented by a hint of apple cider vinegar for acidity, caramelized fennel in the filling, and a pinch of toasted fennel seed in the crisp topping. The topping is wonderfully crunchy and buttery and has some lemon zest to lift the rest of the flavors. For those of you who are worried about the end product tasting like licorice–fear not (I personally hate the taste of licorice)! When cooked, fennel takes on a nice sweetness and adds some extra warmth with its subtle anise flavor.
When I first developed this recipe, I just added the raw fennel in with the apples and while the result was tasty, I found the fennel was a little too chewy and didn’t blend in very well with the apples. The second time, I pre-cooked the fennel in a saucepan with a little bit of butter until the fennel pieces were nicely browned, and then I added the brown sugar to the fennel and stirred until it melted. This mixture was then added to the apples with a bit of apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. And let me say–this tweak to the recipe was transformative and built up an additional layer of flavor for the final dish.
For those of you looking for an apple crisp recipe without oats, this is it! The topping for the crisp was adapted from David Lebovitz’s fruit crisp topping, which uses polenta or cornmeal for extra texture instead of oats, which, while tasty, can end up quite soggy. The cornmeal adds a perfect little crunch to the topping. I changed up some proportions and added lemon zest and toasted fennel seed, which adds another layer of flavor and balances the sweetness of the topping. I also found that toasting some extra walnuts for the top adds another great textural element and toasty flavor to the finished crisp.
If you’re looking for any easy apple dessert, fruit crisp is one of those classics that is quick to throw together and deeply comforting to eat. The fennel in this recipe takes the fruit crisp to the next level, but with very little extra effort. This recipe is absolutely delicious as written but at the stage where you’re adding brown sugar to the fennel, feel free to add a splash of brandy for some extra flavor. You can also try using a variety of apples for added flavor.
Caramelized fennel apple crisp
Course: Pies and tartsDifficulty: Quick bake1
9-inch round crisp30
minutes50
minutesThis caramelized fennel apple crisp has a deep, predominant apple flavor complimented by a subtle sweetness and warmth from caramelized fennel and toasted fennel seeds. The topping, adapted from David Lebovitz, is crisp, buttery, and perfectly lemony to balance the brown sugar. I made this in a 9-inch pie plate but you can use an 8×8 pan or scale the recipe to fit in a larger casserole dish. Make sure you use crisp apples for baking such as fuji, gala, granny smith, etc. A blend of apples also gives a great flavor.
Ingredients
- For the filling
5-7 apples, peeled and cored (about 1.75 lbs once peeled and cored)
1/2 fennel bulb, diced (about 175g)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp (40g) packed brown sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
pinch of salt
- For the topping
1/2 cup (63g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (38g) cornmeal
1/2 cup (53g) walnuts
1/4 cup (53g) packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (1/8 tsp if using Morton kosher)
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, chilled
Instructions
- Remove the stem and fronds from the fennel as well as the very end of the root. Then dice into small pieces (similar to the size of diced onion). Melt butter in a skillet and add in the fennel pieces. Cook the fennel pieces on medium heat, stirring only every 2-3 minutes so the pieces have an opportunity to brown. Once the pieces look nicely golden (about 7-8 minutes), add in the brown sugar and stir until melted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- While the fennel is cooking, you can peel, core, and quarter the apples. Then dice into bit-sized chunks. Cut enough apple to fully fill your baking dish–you want them to slightly be doming at the top, since they will shrink as they cook. Place the diced apples in a mixing bowl and add in the cooked fennel mixture, the apple cider vinegar, and the salt. Mix well and pour into the baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. In a small skillet on medium-high heat, toast the fennel seeds for about 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Remove from the heat and crush with a mortar and pestle, the bottom of a glass, or cut with a knife. The fennel doesn’t need to be fully ground, just cut into smaller pieces.
- In the same pan that you toasted the fennel in, add the walnuts and toss occasionally until lightly golden and fragrant. Add about 1/3 cup of the walnuts (set the rest aside), fennel, flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, lemon zest, and salt to a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to slightly break down the walnuts. Then add in the butter, cut into cubes, and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together. You will see a clear transition from when the mixture is super sandy to when it starts to ball up in the food processor.
- Crumble the mixture on top of the apples. Sprinkle the leftover walnuts on top. Depending on the size of your walnut pieces, you can cut them into smaller pieces before sprinkling on top.
- Bake near the center of the oven for about 50-60 minutes, rotating once in the middle of baking. The crisp is ready when the top is a deep golden brown and you can see the liquid bubbling around the edges. You can poke the apple pieces with a fork and knife if you’re unsure whether they’re cooked through. Let cool for the juices to set a bit before serving. Fruit crisp is best served the day its made but leftovers can be reheated in the oven at 350 covered with foil to revive the crisp topping.
Notes
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar on hand, you can substitute with lemon juice.
- The crisp topping can be made in advance or doubled and frozen in a plastic bag for several months. To use, simply take directly out of the freezer and crumble over your next fruit crisp.
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