Apple-Cranberry Crisp with Oat Topping and Cheddar Cheese

Ingredients

• 4 large, sweet, firm apples, such as Braeburn, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 pieces (about 2 pounds)
• 1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed well
• 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups grated white cheddar
• Vanilla ice cream, as accompaniment

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, cranberries, walnuts, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, and toss well to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. Blend the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour the fruit mixture into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until bubbly and the apples are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 6 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream on top.