GARDEN GOURMET: An October Favorite

LITTLE ROCK — I can't think of any kitchen activity more autumnal than sitting around on a damp Sunday afternoon cutting up apples and letting the pieces fall directly into an eagerly awaiting baking pan. Apple peel is everywhere, including in your hair, on your cat and perhaps sticking to your 7-year-old's arms, and the room smells like an orchard.

Awhile later, after the apples have all reached their destination, rolled oats join the fray as you transform them with very little effort into a heavenly topping, laced with brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. The mere act of assembling this straightforward, old-fashioned dish is so evocative, the only thing I can think of that exceeds it in primordial October-style coziness is baking it and eating it, warm, topped with vanilla ice cream or a rich maple yogurt. Plan to make this on a day when there is something good on the radio and it's raining outside. (It's like planning a great memory ahead of time!) OLD-FASHIONED APPLE CRISP

6 to 8 cups peeled tart apples

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Dash each of nutmeg and allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Optional: 1/2 cup minced walnuts

Optional: Vanilla Ice Cream or Maple Yogurt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the apple into slices and place them into a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, and sprinkle them with lemon juice and sugar. Toss the pan and/or stir gently until the apples are well coated.

In a medium-sized bowl, use a fork and/or your clean hands to mix together the remaining ingredients (including the walnuts, if using) until the butter is completely distributed. Distribute this topping over the apples, patting it firmly into place.

Bake uncovered in the center of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is crisp and lightly browned, and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, plain or accompanied by some terrific vanilla ice cream or some equally good maple yogurt.

Yield: 6 or more servings