Chef Nicki Griffin: Spiced Winter Crisp

Chef Nicki Griffin: Spiced Winter Crisp

Photos and story by LeeAnna Tatum

Originally from Chicago Chef Nicki Griffin, moved to Savannah to attend culinary school and has been working at Pacci Italian Kitchen for the past two years. Baking is her passion and as Pastry Chef, Griffin has the chance to put her skills and creativity to work every day.

Griffin grew up in a home where cooking was not a priority. Whether it was take-out at her mom’s or the same unappealing dish with dad, she realized early on that if she was going to eat well she better learn to cook.

“I started to cook on my own. Me and my sister would mess around with recipes. We got bored of eating take out and all this horrible food. It was … you better learn how to cook or you’re going to have a really boring food life,” she said with a laugh.

Though she loved to cook and especially loved baking, Griffin never considered it as a career option. Instead, she accepted a scholarship to a university to play ice hockey and study nutrition science.

“I was in a huge four year university and I loved every aspect - except going to class. And I figured if I can’t go to class, I won’t be able to love my career after school.”

After some gentle nudging from her mom who had recently moved to Savannah, Griffin decided to look into culinary school instead.

“I was skeptical. I came down (to Savannah), I saw the kitchen. There was a pastry class going on and I was like, ‘that would be so much fun! This is what you do for school?’ So, I switched and moved down here in the spring and never looked back.”

Introduction to the recipe

Chef Griffin chose to share a recipe for a dessert that not only highlights the fruits of the season, but also the spices that warm up a winter’s day! Her Spiced Winter Crisp with apples and pears simmered with clove pairs beautifully with the Cinnamon Ice Cream (a recipe so simple you won’t believe it).

“This is super easy to make. I like simple and good flavors. It makes life a lot easier. You can make it the day before and warm it up in the oven when your guests are ready to eat it.”

“For fall, wintery kind of things, I love using apples,” Griffin explained. “I’m from Chicago and I love apple picking and all that! So, every year since I moved down here, I drive up to northern Atlanta and I pick out apples. My favorite to bake with are Granny Smith because of that tartness, but when you cook them down, you get that sugar and the sweetness - it’s a good mix.”

“For this I went with the Granny Smith apple and pears, because it gives it that sweetness with less sugar added to it. Plus, the more fruit that you can use, especially local, the better.”

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Recipe Spiced Winter Crisp

Filling

4 Granny Smith Apples, 4 Bosc Pears, 1 1/2 cup cranberries, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbs lemon juice, 1/2 tsp clove, 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Topping

1 cup All-purpose flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup oats, 1 cup butter (room temperature), 1 Tbs cinnamon

• Make Topping: Put flour, sugar, oats, butter and cinnamon in bowl and mix until mixture is combined. Set aside until filling is made

• Wash, core and slice the apples and pears

• Place sliced apples and pears in a pot with the cranberries, sugar, lemon juice, clove and nutmeg

• Cook on medium heat until the apples and pears are soft

• Put the cooked filling into a pie dish

• Top with already made topping

• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the topping is browned

Recipe Cinnamon Ice Cream (No Churn)

2 cups heavy cream 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1 tsp ground cinnamon • With whisk attachment whip heavy cream until medium peaks form If you do not have a mixer you can do this with a bowl and a whisk and it will give you a great arm workout :) • Slowly stream in sweetened condensed milk • Whip until stiff peaks form but be careful not to overwhip. If you overwhip the cream will start to separate • Stir in Cinnamon and place in a loaf pan or dish of your choice to be able to freeze • Freeze 6-8 hours. The longer you freeze, the harder the ice cream will become

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Tips from Chef Nicki

Just do it: “Try anything. Don’t be scared to mess things up.”

Be brave: “Cooking seems scary to a lot of people … but people just need a little guidance. Don’t be scared.”

Embrace technology: “YouTube, social media - all of that is what gives people confidence in their own kitchens. And people are glued to their phones these days anyway, use them to learn.”

Ditch the canned cranberry sauce: “I came from a family that definitely doesn’t cook, so all I knew about cranberries was the cranberry sauce in the can and I was always turned off by cranberries. Then I started cooking with them and they produce this really great tart flavor but they also when you cook down the fruit they just explode and all the juices will run out - it makes everything a beautiful red color.”

Don’t peel: “I leave the skin on. You can peel it. But when you cook down apples and pears, if you accidentally cook it down too much the peel will still give you some texture in the dish, rather than just eating apple sauce. I actually like the texture when you bite into an apple pie or this dish when you get the skin. It’s a preference thing. I think it takes less time.”

Go vegan (if you want): “This whole thing (Spiced Winter Crisp) can actually be made vegan. You just add vegetable oil or olive oil (instead of butter) and it tastes almost as good. I made this exact recipe with peaches and no one even noticed.”

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