On our family vacation this summer to Blue Mountain Resort, among the hiking, the roller-coastering, the gondola riding, the rope climbing and the beach days (yes Blue Mountain has a private beach – who knew?), my kids came across a brochure for the Apple Pie Trail and immediately started to ask questions.
Starting with, when can we go?
The possibilities were endless and to hit all the stops along the trail would take days, but as I flipped through the brochure, my thoughts wandered to apple picking at T&K Ferri Orchards or the Farmer’s Pantry, taking a cooking class on how to bake the perfect pie, sampling the beers, wines and ciders made from local apples and even escaping for some alone time and a caramel apple pedicure at the spa.
And the desserts, with a focus on what else – Apple Pie!
But since this was July and apple season seemed so far away, we made a promise to come back in the Fall for a true apple experience. Then we headed out to one of the year-long Apple Pie Trail stops for lunch – The Pottery Restaurant at Blue Mountain Resort.
The highlight of the meal is when the waitress came out with a platter of mini desserts and the kids each got to choose a couple each. After sharing all the mini desserts and sampling each and every one, the overwhelming favourite was the Maple Whisky Apple Crisp Shooter. So of course I asked the chef if he would share the recipe.
The Pottery chefs carefully craft the apple crisp in a few baking steps, then assemble the dessert in small shooter cups – the results are equally delicious and beautiful. But I knew I could take the baking and assembling steps down to a few easy ones without compromising on the deliciousness part!
Here’s how…
Peel and slice your apples and combine with whiskey, maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Combine your topping ingredients.
Mix with a pastry cutter.
Pour onto the apples.
Bake.
Enjoy... with ice cream of course!
Ingredients
6 Baking Apples (I used Cortland), peeled, cored and diced into bite-sized pieces
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp maple syrup
¼ cup whiskey
Topping (if you don’t love the crunchy topping, you can reduce this by half):
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions
Add peeled and sliced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup and whiskey into large bowl and stir until combined.
Dump into a 9-inch square or round baking dish, buttered or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
In same bowl as you mixed your apples (no need to dirty another bowl!), combine topping ingredients and mix using a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingers.
Evenly spread on the top of the apples. Note: This is a lot of topping, which my family loves! If your family prefers a little less topping you can half the topping ingredients or simply add the amount you think they’ll enjoy and discard the rest.
Bake uncovered in pre-heated 350F oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Thinking of heading to Blue Mountain Resort...
After our first family ski trip to Blue Mountain last winter and our family vacation there this summer, Blue Mountain has very quickly become one of our family’s favourite weekend road trip destinations. Whether we’re hitting the slopes, relaxing on the beach or touring the Apple Pie Trail, our kids can’t wait to go back each and every time.
Disclosure: My family was a guest of Blue Mountain Resort, however, all opinions expressed are my own.
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