Apple Crisp

Apple crisp is a remarkable food to me. It takes apples (good of their own right) and makes them transcendent. I've eaten an absurd amount of the stuff this weekend as I had a flat of apples I had to go through before going here on Saturday. Of course I love the stuff right out of the oven, but it's also great cold for "breakfast" (hey! it has lots and lots of apples! And oatmeal! That makes it practically health food!) or other snack.

I adapted this from Mark Bittman's recipe in How to Cook Everything.

Apple Crisp

INGREDIENTS:
APPLE MIXTURE:
6 cups semi-tart apples, sliced thinly (I don't see the point in using Granny Smiths because I just end up adding a bunch more sugar anyway; I used pink ladies for this and it turned out great)
Splash lemon juice
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. fresh ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. brandy (optional, but it adds of ton of flavor)
2 tsp. vanilla (don't bother with vanilla extract; get the real Mexican stuff with tequila or make your own with 6 months of stewing split vanilla beans in vodka or other colorless/flavorless alcohol)
CRUMBLE:
2/3 c. brown sugar (add more to taste if using particularly tart apples)
1/2 c. instant oats
1/2 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. fresh ground cinnamon
1/4 fresh-grated nutmeg seed (or about 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg)
Pinch of salt
5 Tbsp. cold butter

DIRECTIONS
NOTE: Because I like a crumble that's on the barely browned side, I cook this for less time than the original recipe indicated. I compensate for this by cutting the apples razor thin (no really, you could see through them) with my Global Chef Knife. I wouldn't attempt this with anything other than a wickedly awesome sharp knife. If you don't want to do this, add 5 minutes to the cooking time.
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel, core, and slice apples. It took me about five large Pink Lady apples to mostly fill the 9X9 baking pan. Squeeze 1/2 lemon or splash pre-prepared lemon juice over those puppies. Dump in brandy, 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Toss to coat evenly and set aside.
3. If you use a food processor, dump in the crumble ingredients and pulse a couple of times until well-incorporated but not uniform. If you don't have a food processor, it's okay. Just cut in the butter into the dry ingredients and combine with your fingertips or a fork. Be careful not to handle the butter too much or the crumble won't be as flaky.
4. Spray or grease a 9X9 square baking dish. Add in apples and make sure they are evenly distributed (if you let them sit in the brandy for about 20 minutes, the apples will have soaked up much of the liquid). Pour on crumble mixture evenly and pat down gently.
5. Bake for 25 minutes (or longer if you are using thicker apples and/or want a darker crumble). Serve with Cool Whip or vanilla bean ice cream while warm. Let cool completely before refrigerating.