Soot Covered Pot: Apple Crisp

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Scoop by scoop this old faithful dessert is almost certain to be a hit on your trail menu. An easy recipe, apple crisp is just the thing to round out an evening by the campfire.
I recently baked this in a 14 inch dutch oven for 12 people after a dinner of foil baked vegetables and grilled cheese over the campfire. Overall I received big sticky smiles and two thumbs up in approval from an audience ranging 50 to 5 year olds.

Why use a dutch oven?
I appreciate the versatility and consistency a dutch oven offers when it comes to campfire cooking. If you don't have a dutch oven, a pot will work but be sure to adjust the cooking time to accommodate the width of the pot walls. A pot with thinner walls will need less time over the fire. A reflective oven would also make for a great apple crisp which I will cover in another post.
I would suggest starting this recipe before dinner as it involves long preparation and baking time.

Apple Crisp
Apple Mix:
10 cups apple, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins

Topping:
1 1/2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup butter
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp nutmeg
1 tbsp cardamom

First, the most important tool in your bag when it comes to campfire cooking is the fire! More specifically, the coals. When you stoke a fire and build a solid layer of coals you can cook just about anything out on the trail. Click the link for more on campfire building.
Now back to the good stuff.
Mix together apple mix ingredients and spread across the bottom of your dutch oven. Mix topping ingredients and spread over apple mixture. Bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes using 8-10 coals around the bottom and 16 on the lid. Continue cooking until apples are soft and topping is brown.
Chances are out on the trail you won't be carrying a thermometer to track the temperature of the fire so my suggestion is be prepared to check the crisp every 5 minutes after 30 minutes. You'll know when it is baked through when you can stick a fork straight through the apples.

Delicious!
Be sure to check back again for future "Soot Covered Pot" posts.