Apple Crisp Parfait

• 4 pounds firm, tart apples for baking (see headnote)
• Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons), freshly squeezed and strained
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 cups heavy cream, for whipping
• 2 to 3 cups Brown Sugar Crisp Crumbles (recipe follows)
• A large saucepan, 5- or 6-quart capacity, with a cover
• Parfait glasses (can be anything you have in the house, from parfait glasses and wine glasses, balloon-shaped or standard, to tumblers or even conic beer glasses; size should be appropriate for a portion, and you want the layering of fruit, crumble, and cream to be visible)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) cold butter, in 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• (4 to 5 cups of crumbled-up crisp)
• A food processor or a hand-held pastry cutter
• A rimmed baking sheet
• Parchment paper

1. Cut the apples in thick wedges, peel, and cut away the cores and seeds.
2. Slice the wedges into chunks and cubes, an inch thick or larger (dont cut them too small or they will overcook).
3. As you work, put the apple chunks in a mixing bowl and toss with some of the lemon zest and juice, to prevent browning.
4. When youre finished, you should have about 10 cups of apples mixed with all the zest and juice.
5. Pour the sugar over the apples, and toss gently to coat the pieces.
6. Turn all the fruit into the saucepan, slosh the bowl with the 1/2 cup water to rinse out all the sugar, and pour that into the pan too.
7. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil.
8. Stir the apples gently (so theyre all heating), cover the pan, and cook about 2 minutes.
9. Remove the cover, and continue to boil, reducing the juices, stirring the apple chunks around a couple of times, but not mushing them up.
10. After 5 or 6 minutes, when the apples have softened and turned translucent on the outside (they wont be cooked all the way through), remove the pan from the heat.
11. If the chunks have started to fall apart, turn them out of the saucepan into a bowl to stop cooking; otherwise, let the apples and the remaining liquid cool to room temperature (the chunks will reabsorb some of their juices as they sit).
12. The apples can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated; let them warm up a bit before serving.
13. Have the apples, crumbled-up crisp, and serving glasses ready.
14. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, by hand or in an electric mixer.
15. (No sugar or flavoring is needed, since the apples and crisp are quite sweet.)
16. Spoon about 1/2 cup of apple chunks into each glass, making a thick layer that fills the bottom.
17. Scatter crisp crumbles on topanywhere from 2 to 5 tablespoons on each parfait.
18. Plop 1/2 cup or so of whipped cream on top of the crisp crumbles.
19. Now repeat the layersapples, crumbles, creamin each glass.
20. These can be smaller amounts, or as ample as the bottom layers, for an impressive and generous dessert.
21. Preheat the oven to 400.
22. It is quickest to mix the crisp in the food processor, fitted with the metal blade.
23. Put the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt in the work-bowl.
24. Process briefly to blend the dry ingredients.
25. Drop in the butter pieces and pulse a dozen or so times, until the butter has been uniformly cut into a sandy powder of small bits.
26. Sprinkle on the water, and process for a couple of seconds only, just to moisten the dough; it should still be rather loose and granular.
27. To mix by hand, blend the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and cut the butter into the grainy powder with a pastry cutter.
28. Toss the powder and water with a fork to moisten.
29. Line the baking sheet with the parchment paper.
30. Sprinkle the loose grains of dough evenlyin one layerin an oval shape about 8 by 12 inches, filling in any holes and keeping the layer thin; dont compress them.
31. Bake for about 10 minutes, then rotate back to front, for even heating.
32. The crumbs will have melted together, spread out in a thin layer, and perhaps started to bubble.
33. Bake for another 7 to 10 minutes or more, until the layer is deeply caramelized, golden brown all over (and probably very dark on the edges).
34. It will resemble a giant brown sugar cookie.
35. Set the pan on a wire rack, and cool until the cookie is very crisp.
36. Cut or break off any burnt edges.
37. Crack the cookie into crispy flakes, an inch or smaller.
38. This is a good size for munching; you can crumble them up a bit more when layering the parfait.
39. Parfait glasses (can be anything you have in the house, from parfait glasses and wine glasses, balloon-shaped or standard, to tumblers or even conic beer glasses; size should be appropriate for a portion, and you want the layering of fruit, crumble, and cream to be visible)

firm, lemon, lemon, sugar, water, heavy cream, brown sugar, saucepan, glasses, flour, sugar, darkbrown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cold butter, cold water, processor, baking sheet, paper

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/apple-crisp-parfait-384554 (may not work)