For the latest installment of Sugar High Friday, hosted this time around by Spittoon Extra the theme is Drunken Apples. I was intrigued by the possible combinations. My first thought was of Tuaca, a lovely citrus-vanilla liqueur, to which I was first introduced when Quinn & I had known each other about six weeks. Quinn brought a bottle to a New Years Eve party we were both attending.
So, back to baking. I went in search of a recipe combining apples and Tuaca and finally found this recipe at Epicurious. There is Tuaca, as well as white wine. Granted, there are pears as well as apples, but I actually used three apples and two pears. I must tell you that the crumb topping is so good that I could have just eaten it on its own, unbaked. Seriously, that good.
I will make one recommendation for baking this crisp. Place a baking sheet lined with parchment paper under your baking pan. I had a good bit of overflow during baking and was very glad I had taken the precaution.
As for the finished product, it is beyond good. The topping is a bit crunchy, almost like a cookie. The liqueur adds a lovely hint of citrus that compliments the vanilla and cinnamon very well. And, of course, my favorite – pecans – add a nice crunch. Quinn says he is now ruined for all other fruit crisps, and he has definitely made amends with Tuaca.