Have you ever wondered about people’s origin stories of how their relationship started? I know I have. I’ve been out, looked at couples and wanted to know how they met. Well, even though Valentine’s day has passed, February is still the month of love. So, I am going to share my Black history love story about how I knew my husband was the one for me because of an apple crisp.
I met my husband while I was in graduate school in Virginia. We were both studying atmospheric science and had another common bond. We’d both gotten our undergrad degrees in physics from HBCUs. When we saw each other, we often talked about our undergraduate experiences and the difficulties of being a graduate student. I have to admit, we had our share of complaints. But I always thought his graduate school experience was better than mine. At the time, he was doing his doctorate research at NASA Langley Research Center. I always looked forward to talking to him just to hear what he was working on. He would tell me stories about how he was building instruments or taking plane flights for his research. He was always so interesting.
Some time had passed, and I could tell our relationship started to change. Our conversations with each other got longer and longer. So much so, one night we talked to each other outside Plaza Azteca, a restaurant in Hampton Roads, so long we saw the employees leave to go home for the night. I guess after being friends for five years, we started to see each other as more than graduate school buddies.
One year, while I was home for the holidays, I recall mentioning to him that I had made, by request, an apple crisp for my mother. While I started to talk about something else, he quickly stated, “So, where’s mine?” At that moment, I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. I asked him what he meant. “Where is my apple crisp? I wanted some too.” I told him I couldn’t bring any of the apple crisp I made for my mother but when I got back to Virginia, I would make him one.
When I was ready to make this infamous apple crisp, I invited him over for dinner. I wanted to make a whole meal out of it, you know dinner and dessert. My plan was to cook dinner and then have him help me make the apple crisp. I guess I thought I would make it into a cooking class sort of thing. While I was demonstrating how to cut the apples, I did the clumsiest thing of all. I cut my finger. I couldn’t believe I actually cut myself right in front of him. I quickly got a paper towel and wrapped up my finger. I checked the food to make sure I didn’t bleed on anything and I hadn’t. So, I proceeded to clean myself up. As I was doing all of this, Jasper sprung up to action asking if I had bandages and medicine to tend to my wound. I told him I did and where everything was. Before I knew it, we were both headed to the bathroom. Before I could rinse the blood off of my finger and further inspect my wound, he very gently, took my finger and began to clean it up and bandage it for me. The care he took with just a small cut told me he was a very caring person. Let’s just say, that apple crisp, started something between us that has been going ever since. I don’t want to say I fell in love with him that night, but I knew our relationship would never be what it was. I honestly couldn’t tell you how that apple crisp turned out, but I assure you, it must’ve been good. Why? Because I’ve been cooking for him since that day! So, apple crisp has a special meaning for us. It sparked the beginning of our relationship. This recipe is simple, but it has so much meaning. Give it try and let me know what you think!
Relationship Starter Apple Crisp
For this apple crisp, I really do not follow a recipe. I sort of go with the flow and do what feels good to me while I am making it. What I am giving below are suggestions of what you can do to make this apple crisp. If you find your apples aren’t really sweet, you can add more sugar. If you want more oats in the crisp, you can add more oats. Or you could add other spices with the cinnamon, such as allspice or ginger. This recipe is very forgiving, so have fun with it. Trust me, you will not ruin it if you want to add your own flare and flavor.
Before you start making the apple crisp:
Make sure to preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray with non-stick spray, a 9×9 inch square pan. Let’s begin!
For the Crisp:
1 cup brown sugar, light or dark, either works in this recipe
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour will also work
1 cup old fashion whole oats
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3⁄4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)
Juice from half a lemon (optional)*
*Note: The lemon juice adds some brightness to the crisp topping. Make sure to use fresh lemon juice here and not lemon juice out of the bottle, if you decide to use. I came across this idea in a book by Mark Bittman called, “How to Bake Everything: Simple Recipes for the Best Baking”. I highly suggest picking up his book. He has some wonderful recipes!
To make the crisp:
- Place the first five ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until all ingredients until they are well incorporated with each other.
- Add softened butter to the dry mix and, with either a wooden spoon or even better your hands, evenly distribute the butter into the dry ingredients. Mix until crumbly and there are no dry parts.
- If using, mix in pecans. Then add lemon juice and mix.
- Set aside
For the apples:
4 large or 6 medium apples, sliced*
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar, or if you like you could use light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
*Note: I like to use a mix of tart and sweet apples for this apple crisp. You can use whatever apples are your favorites, what you have on hand or what you can find at your local market.
For the apples:
- Take sliced apples and mix with sugar and cinnamon. This can be done in the pan or in a separate bowl, it is up to you. I usually just mix the apples directly in the pan.
To make the apple crisp:
- Place sugared apples in the pan, if you haven’t already, and place the crisp topping on top of the apples. Making sure all the apples are covered.
- Put crisp in the preheated 350-degree oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until top of crisp is golden brown and apples are soft.
- Take crisp out of the oven, place on a cooling rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes.
This apple crisp can be eaten alone but it is best served with either whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!
Enjoy!
