Skillet Apple Crisp with Cheddar
Cast iron apple filling under a cheddar crumble. Pie logic without the pastry.
- calories
- 430
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 78
- protein
- 6 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 40 min
- total time
- 55 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dessert
- Campfire coals
- Dutch oven
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Apples | 2 lb, about 8 | peeled and sliced at home, tossed with the lemon juice |
|---|---|---|
| Lemon juice | 1 tbsp | keeps the slices from browning in the cooler |
| Brown sugar | 1/4 cup | |
| Granulated sugar | 1/4 cup | |
| All-purpose flour | 1/4 cup | for the filling |
| Salt | 1 tsp total | 1/2 tsp filling, 1/2 tsp topping |
| Allspice, ginger, cinnamon | 1/2 tsp each | |
| Nutmeg | 1/4 tsp | |
| Apple cider vinegar | 1 tbsp | |
| All-purpose flour | 1 1/4 cups | for the topping |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp | topping |
| Sharp cheddar | 2 1/2 oz, grated | grate at home, keep cold |
| Butter | 1 stick (4 oz), cold | cubed |
| Demerara sugar | 1 tbsp | for the top |
Method
- Build the fire early and let it burn down. You want coals, not flame.
- Dump the apples into a 10-inch cast iron skillet or dutch oven. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, all the spices, and the vinegar. Stir until every slice is coated.
- Pull the topping bag from the cooler. Work the cold butter cubes into it with your fingers until the biggest pieces are pea-sized and it clumps when you squeeze it. Do this fast so the butter stays cold.
- Scatter the crumble over the apples in an even layer. Sprinkle the demerara over the top.
- Set the pan on a grate over the coals and put the lid on. Shovel a few coals onto the lid if you have a dutch oven.
- Bake 35 to 45 minutes. Rotate the pan a quarter turn every ten minutes so one side does not scorch. It is done when the topping is browned and the filling bubbles up the sides.
- Let it sit ten minutes off the heat. The filling is molten and it thickens as it cools.
Pie dough on a fire grate is a losing bet. The crust needs steady, even heat from below and above, and coals give you neither. A crumble made from the same flour, butter, and cheddar solves that: it sits on top, it browns from radiant heat, and nothing has to hold a shape. Same flavors, none of the two-hour chill.
The cheddar is not a novelty. Cheese and apple share the same sharp-sweet axis, and the salt in it keeps the topping from reading as candy. Cold butter is the one thing you cannot cheat here. If it softens into the flour you get paste, not crumble, so keep it in the cooler until the pan is loaded and the coals are ready. The vinegar goes in the filling instead of the dough and does the same job it always did, cutting the sugar.
Packing
Premix the topping flour, sugar, salt, and grated cheddar in a zip bag at home and keep it cold; butter goes in the same corner of the cooler. Sliced apples travel in a second bag with the lemon juice already on them. Filling sugars, flour, and spices premix into one small bag so camp assembly is three bags and a stir.
Variations
- No lid or dutch oven: cover the skillet tightly with foil for the first 25 minutes, then uncover to brown.
- Swap half the apples for dried apple rings soaked in water if the cooler space is tight.
- Leave the cheddar out and the crumble still works, just sweeter and less interesting.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/apple-pie-with-cheddar-crust