OPINION —
A hint of color is beginning to show on trees around town as we look forward to cooler weather after a long hot summer. Autumn is a wonderful time of year with football games, relaxing by a roaring fire in the evenings and an abundance of fresh apples in the markets. Whether they are sweet or tart, apples can be used for making delectable desserts, adding crunch to salads and enhancing breads with a taste of fall.
Apples were brought to America by European settlers by way of seeds that they planted. Boston’s first recorded apple orchard on Beacon Hill was planted by William Blackstone in 1625. John Chapman, 1775-1845, was known as Johnny Appleseed as he planted seeds by hand across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Indiana for 40 years.
Today, the U.S. is the world’s second largest apple producer behind China. There are 7,000 to 7,500 varieties of apples grown worldwide.
The variety of apples range from sweet for eating raw to tart for baking and cooking. For cooking, select green Granny Smith as they are tart and will hold their shape in baking.
Golden Delicious and Red Delicious apples are sweet and good for snacking, as well as Gala apples that are mildly sweet. Fuji and Envy are the sweetest apples. Honeycrisp apples have a sweet-tart flavor and are crisp as their name implies.
Wash apples thoroughly before eating or cooking. Rinse and scrub under running water to remove residues. Buy organic for thin skinned apples, such as Golden and Red Delicious to avoid pesticides. Apples are low calorie and provide fiber and vitamin C.
Tart Granny Smith apples are perfect for making pies. Edith SmithT makes her mother’s recipe for Shenandoah Apple Pie. The flavorful pie calls for nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. It is different from other pies as it has a cup of grated cheddar cheese combined with the apple filling.
When Beth Brewer makes her apple pie named after her husband, Charlie, she will decorate the top pastry with a decoration or sweet word. She will take the tines of a fork and punch in words or shapes, such as a heart.
Kathleen Ingram prepares an Apple Custard Pie that goes together quickly. Cream with sugar and flour is poured over the apples, and cinnamon is sprinkled over the pie before baking.
I have been making the Apple Pie with Crumb Topping for many years, and it is still a favorite at our home served warm with vanilla ice cream for fall and during the winter months. Sometimes I will make the pie in a tart pan with a removeable bottom or use a deep dish pie dish.
While a homemade crust is preferred in pie making, you can use rolled pie crusts from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. They are so easy to use and will save a great deal of time.
Along with pies, apple breads and cakes are also delicious. Brenda Goodman makes a yummy and moist Fresh Apple Cake with a Brown Sugar Glaze. Her cake recipe was recently prepared for a Bible study class by the teacher to serve with morning refreshments. Of course, I asked about the recipe since it was so good.
The cake can be baked in a tube pan or a 9 x 13-inch pan. For the class, the sheet cake worked well for serving.
During fall, add apples to salads for a sweet crunch. When adding apples to a salad, select sweet-tart varieties, such as Honeycrisp or sweeter Gala apples that will stay crisp. Cut them into bite-sized chunks. To prevent the fruit from turning brown, toss apple slices with a little lemon or lime juice. You can mix the juice with a small amount of water.
Apples are good in salads with toasted nuts, dried cranberries or raisins combed with a soft cheese, such as feta, goat or blue cheeses. A vinaigrette dressing pairs well with the apples, nuts, dried fruit and cheese.
Libba Herring’s Apple-Feta Tossed Salad recipe includes how to toast walnuts in a skillet with a sugar glaze, while Nancy’s Salad with Kiwi, Apples and Pecans is tossed in an easy to make Poppy Seed Dressing.
When I was growing up, my mother made fried apple pies that filled the house with sweet aromas. I am fairly sure she didn’t have a recipe, but they always tasted yummy warm from the oven.
My mother was always fine with me being in the kitchen around ten years old making a mess experimenting with a recipe. When my grandmother, who lived with us, told me she used to make apple pastries, I just had to try making one although she didn’t have a recipe.
She told me basically how she prepared them. I made a pie crust and rolled it out, then peeled an apple, cored it and placed it on the pastry. The center of the apple was filled with a mixture of sugar, cinnamon and raisins. The pastry was pulled up to cover the apple, then baked. It took a long time to get brown because I kept opening the oven door, but it was tasty.
Look over the following recipes for a variety of delectable apple dishes for treating your family this week.
CHARLIE’S APPLE PIE
Beth Brewer
Pastry for two piecrusts
4 to 5 tart apples
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
6 Tbsp. butter
Preheat oven to 425. Line pie pan with bottom crust. Wash, peel and slice apples. Place apple slices in layers in crust until the slices are even with the top edge.
In a separate bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg and salt. Sprinkle this mixture over apples. Then sprinkle lemon juice over apples.
Cut up butter into small pieces and distribute evenly over the top. Then lay remaining pastry crust over the pie and crimp edges. Bake for 35 to 50 minutes or until apples are soft and crust is golden brown.
SHENANDOAH APPLE PIE
Edith SmithT Walker’s mother’s recipe
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1½ cups sugar
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. lemon juice
1 stick melted butter
¼ cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Flour
2 pie crusts
Place one crust in a deep-dish pie pan. Place sliced apples over crust. Mix next 9 ingredients; add a “little” flour, stir and pour over apples. Make a lattice top using second crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
APPLE PIE WITH CRUMB TOPPING
1¼ cups sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cinnamon
Dash salt
6 cups pared, sliced Granny Smith apples
9-inch piecrust
Crumb Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 stick cold butter
Mix together sugar, flour, spices and salt; combine with sliced apples. Place piecrust in 9-inch pie or tart pan. Fill with apples.
Combine ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over apples.
Bake in preheated 425-degree oven for 10 minutes; lower heat to 350 and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Good served warm with vanilla ice cream.
FRESH APPLE CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR GLAZE
Brenda Goodman
1½ cups oil
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 cups diced apples
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla on low speed of a mixer. Add dry ingredients and blend well. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x13-inch pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until test done. The cake may also be baked in a greased and floured tube pan for one hour. Batter will be thick.
Prepare Brown Sugar Glaze.
Brown Sugar Glaze:
1 cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup evaporated milk (in a can)
1 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix brown sugar, milk and butter in a saucepan and cook at a low boil for about 3 minutes. (If you have a candy thermometer take it to soft ball.) Remove from heat and add vanilla.
While cake is still warm, drizzle with icing (use as much icing as desired).
Refrigerate when completely cool.
NANCY’S SALAD WITH KIWI, APPLE AND PECANS WITH POPPY SEED DRESSING
1 head loose leaf lettuce, washed and drained
3 to 4 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
3 Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Arrange torn lettuce leaves on salad plate. Top with sliced green apples, kiwi and pecans. Spoon Poppy Seed Dressing over salad. Instead of arranging salads on plates, can serve salad in a large bowl. Add dressing to taste and toss just before serving.
Poppy Seed Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. poppy seed
Combine dressing ingredients. Store covered in refrigerator.
APPLE-FETA TOSSED SALAD WITH TOASTED WALNUTS
Libba Herring
Toasted Walnuts:
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup walnut halves
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. pepper
Salad:
5 cups torn romaine
5 cups torn red leaf lettuce
1 medium red apple, chopped
1 medium yellow or green apple, chopped
1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
Dressing:
6 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1½ tsp. Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chopped parsley
1/8 tsp. pepper
In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add walnuts, sprinkled with sugar and pepper. Stir until well coated. Spread onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
In a large bowl, combine lettuces, apples and Feta. Blend together dressing ingredients in a blender. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle walnuts over salad and serve.
CARAMEL TOFFEE DIP WITH APPLES
Tipi Miller
½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
½ cup light sour cream
1/3 cup brown sugar
¾ tsp. vanilla extract
5 Tbsp. toffee bits
Apples for dipping
Combine dip ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve with apples for dipping.
APPLE CINNAMON SCONES
Sharon Cargile
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Granny Smith apple
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat egg and add butter.
Peel, core and chop apple into small pieces. Add to egg and butter mixture. Add remaining ingredients.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently about 4 times. Don’t over-work the dough. Pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round, and about 1 ½ inches thick (about the size of a saucer.) Cut this circle in half, then, cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles).
Place the scones on a greased baking sheet.
Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.
Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
APPLE DUMPLING COBBLER
Pam Sipper
1 can crescent rolls
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and quartered
1 cup orange juice
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Unroll crescent rolls and separate. Wrap each apple quarter with crescent roll dough. (You can also cut the rolls in half, the apples into eighths and make smaller dumplings if you wish.) Place dumplings in a lightly greased baking pan.
Bring orange juice, 2/3 cup sugar and butter to a boil and pour over the dumplings. Stir together 2 tsp. of sugar and 1 tsp. of cinnamon and sprinkle over the dumplings.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
APPLE BREAD WITH PECANS
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups chopped peeled apples
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with nonstick spray.
Combine flour, sugar cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; blend together. Then whisk together eggs, oil and vanilla in a bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Fold in apples and pecans.
Pour into loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in each center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then move to wire racks to finish cooling.
APPLE CUSTARD PIE
Kathleen Ingram
6 cups tart apples, pared, cored and cut in eighths
9-inch unbaked pastry shell
¾ cup sugar
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup light cream
Ground cinnamon
Arrange apple slices in a 9-inch unbaked pastry shell. Combine sugar, flour and salt. Stir in light cream. Pour mixture over apples. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Cover loosely with foil.
Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Remove foil. Bake 15 minutes or until apples are done. Serve warm with cheddar cheese or ice cream, if desired.
APPLE PUFF PANCAKE
Hattie Lett
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven is preheated, place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to heat.
3 eggs, beaten
¾ cup plain flour
½ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup milk
1 apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Mix sugar and cinnamon together in quart Zip-Lock bag; add sliced apples. Sift flour and salt; add beaten eggs. Whisk and slowly add milk. Remove skillet from oven. Add butter. When melted, add apple slices in a swirl pattern. Pour flour mixture over apple slices.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with hot syrup (can use sugar-free or lite syrup).
Hattie will often make two and reheat the second one the next day in the microwave.
