On another thread we were looking at Amish recipes. I looked with interest at the apple crisp recipe. This brought back a fondness for apples that I had lost for too long a period of time. There are a zillion recipes out there for apple crisp and most of them use oats in the topping part of the recipe. I do not care for oats.

I made up my own version of apple crisp with no topping. This lead me to a tart type of approach using a pan with a removable bottom and fluted or ridged sides. I then realized that this also was not what I wanted so I kept it simple and just stayed with the apple part of the recipe and then added a variation to a bourbon sauce recipe which I liked and this approach worked for me.

The first time I substituted an apple jack brandy for the bourbon. The second and subsequent times I have substituted another apple brandy for the bourbon...Calvados. I now have something very simple and delicious.

It is an easy step to move to a cherry or some other type of dessert. I order cheeries from Oregon fruits website. Why... because it is the only source for tart red cherries I can find. Especially because it is the only source for one of my favorite berries...boysenberry. Boysenberry makes a terrific milkshake. I have to place an order soon to make a boysenberry twist for the holidays. I will substitute Creme de Cassis for the bourbon in both the cherry and boysenberry dishes. The link is as follows...

http://www.oregonfruit.com/

* Bourbon Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon

In a medium sized bowl, beat the cream until it begins to thicken. While beating, add the sugar and bourbon and beat until soft peaks form.

Dollop over servings of apple crisp.