The best thing Claire cooked this weekend: Apple crisp for two!

I love to bake -- especially dessert as part of a special meal at home. But I don’t care to have three-quarters of a pie leftover on Monday morning, mostly because I’ll just eat it for breakfast! This weekend the perfect solution dawned on me: Apple crisp for two!

I took my usual recipe (actually it’s my Grandma’s) and cut it down by two-thirds. Then I baked it in a 2-cup ramekin. Perfection! Fruit crisp just happens to be my favourite fall dessert -- it’s the easiest and most adaptable recipe for whatever fruit's in season.  I prepped it in advance then tossed it into the hot oven when the roasted potatoes came out. Just as we finished up with supper, our warm, butterscotchy dessert was ready. Here's mine (and Grandma's) easy recipe.

Apple* Crisp for Two

Peel and thinly slice 2 medium apples. Place in a baking dish large enough to hold the apples in a 1 ½ - 2-inch-deep layer with room on top. Mix 1/3 cup brown sugar with 2 tbsp flour (and 1 tbsp oats if you like) plus a pinch of cinnamon and one of salt too. Add 2 tbsp cold butter (cut into cubes). Work the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips until it’s fairly well incorporated (but not completely). If the dish is very full, place it on a baking sheet to protect the oven from spillovers. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes or until the fruit juices bubble up at the sides of the dish.

*Or use any fruit, and keep the crisp topping the same. Adjust baking time as needed.