from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Crisp Topping:

• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into ½-inch chunks
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 2/3 cup flour
• ½ cup rolled oats or chopped nuts
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

Crisp filling:

• 1 ½ pounds apples, peeled and cored
• 2 pounds rhubarb, diced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Using your fingers or the paddle attachment of a mixer, work the butter with the rest of the ingredients so that each piece is coated and you have a coarse, crumbly mixture.    Set the topping aside.  Dice the apples, then put them in a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.  Arrange the fruit in a 2-quart gratin dish and cover with the topping.  Set the dish on a sheet pan to catch any drips and bake until the juices from the fruit are bubbling and the topping is brown, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.