Apple Crisp

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I'm very picky about apple crisp. I don't like it too sweet, and can't stand it when it's made with canned apple filling, and I don't like oatmeal in the topping. So if any of those things are for you this isn't the crisp for you. But it is a very popular recipe around the world. Most people who identify the source for this recipe will tell you that it is from Moira Hodgson's "Favorite Fruitcakes" book, which is true. But the fact is that Moira's book is about recipes from famous cooks and their cookbooks. So though I have not seen Moira's cookbook my guess is that she has listed the Silver Palate recipe. I could tweek the recipe to make it look like mine, but their could be no benefit in alteration. The original name is June's Apple Crisp, but since in my mind it should be the definitive apple crisp I shall just call it apple crisp.

6 green apples, peeled and cored and sliced up not too thinly
juice of 1/2 a lemon if your apples aren't at all tart

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (or a little less if you like)
1 stick of butter, cold and cut up.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Put the apples into any dish that they will nicely fit into, round or square or oval or what ever.
Put the rest of the ingredients into a food processor or a sturdy bowl if you are going to mix this with a pastry blender.
Then mix up the topping so that it is all nice and crumbly looking, like cornmeal. It should be a bit powdery.
Dump the topping over the apples, spread around to even things up a bit, and then tamp the dish down on the counter to coax the topping down in amongst the apples just a little bit.
Bake for about an hour. What you want to see is bubbles around the edge.

Serve immediately with a small dollop of vanilla ice cream on top if you like.

Option:  I recently made this dessert and I tossed the apples with about 1/3 cup of the topping, then dumped on the topping mixture.