Fall: Apples

Oct 14, 2010 By Cheri in Fall, Fall, In Season 13 Comments Tags: apples

I“m starting a new series on my blog called, In Season, featuring seasonal produce when it”s in season. Shocker! I realize that everywhere in the world goes through different seasons at different times. So, I”m gonna stick with what I know. But, I”ll be posting links to your recipes and giving info on the produce such as: the best ways to use it, how to store, etc. And, that can be useful for everyone right?

I”ve been inspired lately to cook with the seasons and trying hard to avoid the imports. So, in an effort to learn more and put it into practice, I thought I”d share what I find and learn with you! I definitely don”t know everything so please always feel free to add your tidbits into the comments section.

Apple season is well underway and I have been enjoying them daily for quite a while now. Fresh, in season apples, just can”t be beat. I thought it would be an appropriate start to this series since it”s one of our favourite fruits. Let”s get started!

*See bottom of post to find out next months pick and how you can participate.

All About Apples

In Season

Apples are at their peak, typically, from late August through November. This is when they taste the best! Although, they do keep well in cold storage, which is why they are available year round.

Buying

Look for firm, heavy apples that are brightly colored and crisp. Avoid apples that have bruised or damaged skin.

Storing

Store in a cool dry place. For longest storage, store in the crisper drawer (or a plastic bag) of the refrigerator. Remove apples that are over-ripe as they will cause the others to ripen more quickly. Should keep for one month in the fridge.

Best Uses

There are so many apple varieties that I”m gonna stick with the basics for this one.

Best for Baking:

Spy Gold, Spartan, Pink Lady, Northern Spy, Mutsu, Jonathan, Jonagold, Honeygold, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Empire, Cortland, Baldwin, Braeburn, Rome Beauty, Pippin, Winesap, Gravenstein

Best for Applesauce:

Spartan, Pink Lady, Northern Spy, Mutsu, McIntosh, Jonathan, Jonagold, Honeygold, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Cortland, Braeburn, Rome Beauty, Pippin, Winesap, Gravenstein

Best for Pies:

Spy Gold, Spartan, Pink Lady, Northern Spy, Mutsu, Jonathan, Jonagold, Honeygold, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Empire, Cortland, Braeburn, Rome Beauty, Pippin, Winesap, Gravenstein

Best Eaten Fresh:

Spy Gold, Spartan, Red Delicious, Pink Lady, Mutsu, McIntosh, Jonathan, Jonagold, Honeygold, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Empire, Cortland, Braeburn, Pippin, Winesap, Gravenstein

Best for Drying:

Spartan, Jonathan, Honeygold, Honeycrisp, Gala, Empire

You can, of course, use the apples you have on hand for whatever recipe you want to make. You just may not get the absolute best possible results.

Random Tips

*To stave off browning, toss cut apples with lemon or orange juice.

1 pound of apples is equal to (approximately):

4 small apples

3 medium apples

2 large apples

3 cups, chopped

2 3/4 cups sliced

1.5 cups grated

Recipes

I put the call out on Twitter for peoples favourite apple recipes. These wonderful people graciously obliged. Make sure to head over to their sites, read their posts and grab the recipes!

Puzzle Apples

“These Puzzle Apples would be great to put in your child’s lunchbox. They might possibly even be quite proud to show these off to their friends. Which means extra points for Mom (or Dad).”

~ Kitchen Simplicity

Butterscotch Apple Crisp

“I normally like to make most of my foods from scratch. But, sometimes there is just no substitute for the instant pudding packages. This recipe uses a boxed package of butterscotch pudding. So delicious!”

~Kitchen Simplicity

Apple Lemon Cinnamon Muffins

“I have been making this recipe for years. And, I really enjoy it. It is not overly sweet, which I prefer in a breakfast muffin. I like to put strawberry jam in the center because I always like a bit of jam on my muffins and so it saves me an extra step later on.”

~ Kitchen Simplicity

Maple Walnut Apple Chips

“These blew me out of the water and have changed my idea about dried fruit. If it’s done right, it’s downright amazing. They’re like a maple walnut apple pie and a chip all in one, just without the calories. Who can resist that?”

~ Kitchen Simplicity

Apple Strudel

“A traditional Apple Strudel with a lovely combo of sweetness and saltiness.”

~ Kitchen Simplicity

Apple Cinnamon Sticky Buns

“The buns are light and fluffy with just the right amount of sticky cinnamon topping and delicious apple centre.”

~ Baked by Rachel

Apple Coffee Cake Muffins

“My mission was to find a recipe or a few to create amazing coffee cake muffins, with apples. Success! The final product is so delicious. I ate one and went back for another. And had another as an after dinner snack. Don’t laugh, you’d do it too!”

~ Baked by Rachel

Apple Pie

“Don’t fear the pie. You can make one. They do take some time and a bit of love but they’re absolutely worth it… This is the hands down best apple pie I have ever had. I’ve had a lot of pies growing up and none compare to this one.”

~ Baked by Rachel

Toffee Apple Dip

“I absolutely love this dip. It’s a great appetizer or snack. Just be careful … it’s a little addicting.”

~ Becky Higgins

Roasted Parsnip and Apple Soup

“This soup is pleasantly easy to make and is layered in complex flavours. Pair it with a nice crusty bread and you have yourself a fabulous end of summer meal.”

~ Guilty Kitchen

Lazy Sourdough Apple Pankcakes

“Begin by making a lazy sourdough starter in the evening, and the next morning, enjoy Sourdough Apple Pancakes with the kids.”

~ Simple Bites

Classic Applesauce

“A basic step-by-step tutorial on how I make and can my applesauce. It’s straightforward, easy to make in large batches and just delicious!”

~ Simple Bites

Tonka-Bean Spiced Apple-Raspberry Cake

“Don”t sweat it if you don”t have tonka bean, just use a teaspoon of cinnamon instead.”

~Under the High Chair

Carrot, Leek and Apple Soup

“For fun, toss in some whole-wheat garlic croutons for crunch and bacon because–well, bacon needs no explanation, really.”

~ Under the High Chair

Squash-apple Soup with roasted ginger

“Apples and Squash for September Bloom Day”

~ Mahlzeit

Ooey Gooey Caramel Apple Blackout Cake (vegan)

“Digging your fork into this cake is like eating ultra-moist and robust chocolate pudding with baked apples and just enough cinnamon spice inside.”

~ Desserts for Breakfast

That”s it for this months roundup. Feel free to share your thoughts, recipes and tips below.

The next In Season roundup will be Brussels Sprouts. You can email or tweet me your posts and/or tips all the way until November 15th. Feel free to pull from the archives, or send me your new posts as you make them! All I ask is that you send me a short blurb along with the link with some sort of description of the recipe or article. You can take it right from the post or write something new. It”s up to you! If you don”t want me to include a picture please let me know. Even if you don”t have a blog or a blogpost feel free to submit your tips and I”ll include a quote from you. Can”t wait to see your submissions!

Are there any other headings you would like to see on these posts?

Butterscotch Apple Crisp

Sep 18, 2009 By Cheri in Breakfast, Fall, Fruit, Pastries, Sweets 17 Comments Tags: apples, butterscotch, crisp, Fruit

I”ve been having one of those weeks. You know, the one where you hit the floor at 5:30 in the morning after tripping over your sons safety gate, or send your fresh pizza flying while giving yourself a matching pair of second degree burns. Yeah, it”s been one of those weeks. Thankfully it is Friday and I am eagerly awaiting the start of a new week, hoping for the absence of pinched fingers, banged heads, and stubbed toes.

I wish I had a slice of this Butterscotch Apple Crisp to drowned out my bruises. Unfortunately, I will have to be satisfied with drooling over this photo that I took while visiting my parents in Canada. You see, Jello Instant Pudding has yet to be discovered here in Norway (by me). The likeliest candidate I have found so far are these sticky puddings, which don”t have me convinced just yet. But perhaps, after a little testing.

I normally like to make most of my foods from scratch. But, sometimes there is just no substitute for the instant pudding packages. Plus, it is just so darn tasty. The recipe calls for a 7×11 pan but I have often used a 8×8 pan with great results.

Butterscotch Apple Crisp

adapted from TasteofHome

4 cups tart apples, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp. flour

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

2/3 cup flour

1 (4 serving size) pckg. cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding mix (I often used instant)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

Layer the apples in an ungreased 7×11 inch pan (or 8×8 if need be).

Whisk together brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. flour, water and milk. Pour over apples.

In a separate bowl combine oats, 2/3 cup flour, butterscotch pudding mix, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake at 350 for 45- 50 min. until apples are cooked through and topping is golden brown.

Serves: 8

Print Recipe

How About Them Apples

Sep 16, 2009 By Cheri in Fall, How-to's, Kids, Snacks 4 Comments Tags: apples, Fruit, fun food, Kids, puzzle, snacks

I am finally getting used to the idea of fall. I may even be a teensy weensy bit excited about it. Normally I do look forward to each season by the time it hits, but this year it has been a bit of a struggle. The colors are now starting to change, a cool refreshing breeze is in the air and people are getting into their kitchens and baking up a storm, myself included. So, what is there not to get excited about, right?

Whenever I think of fall, I think of school. And, whenever I think of school, I think of apples. How cliche is that? You would think I would think of apples merely because they are in season. I never gave my teachers any apples growing up and it wasn”t even my favourite fruit to bring in my lunch box. That really goes to show how much we are affected by “propaganda.” As a general rule a great way to get kids to eat their fruits and veggies is to make them fun. And, most fruits and veggies are easy to cut into different shapes to trick kids into thinking that it is actually enjoyable to eat them. So far my son has no trouble eating anything and everything under the sun, he even ate these Indian Dosas with a smile on his face. I am thinking that I may not have to try too hard with him. But, that doesn”t mean that I won”t be making these apples just for fun.

These Puzzle Apples would be great to put in your child”s lunchbox. They might possibly even be quite proud to show these off to their friends. Which means extra points for Mom (or Dad). They will get a little brown but if you sprinkle them with lemon juice it should help the oxidization to slow down. Placing the apple back together after cutting and wrapping in seran wrap should help slow down the browning as well. So how do you make these browning beauties you ask? Here”s the lowdown:

I am finally getting used to the idea of fall. I may even be a teensy weensy bit excited about it. Normally I do look forward to each season by the time it hits, but this year it has been a bit of a struggle. The colors are now starting to change, a cool refreshing breeze in the air and people are getting into their kitchens and baking up a storm, myself included. So, what is there not to get excited about? right

These Puzzle Apples would be great to put in your child”s lunchbox. They might possibly even be quite proud to show these off to their friends. Which means extra points for Mom (or Dad). They will get a little brown but if you sprinkle them with lemon juice it should help the oxidation to slow down. Placing the apple back together after cutting and wrapping in seran wrap should help slow down the browning as well. So how do you make these browning beauties you ask? Here”s the lowdown:

Using a pairing knife make one cut from the stem halfway down the apple. Turn the apple a 1/4 turn and cut again at a 90 degree angle from the first cut, making sure to go only half way down the apple.

Turn the apple over and making sure that the cuts are on the exact opposite side of the top, repeat the cutting process.

Turn the apple on it”s side and connect two of the cuts through the centre, cutting horizontally across the apple, making sure to go right through to the middle of the apple. Skip one space and repeat on opposite side.

Pull the apple apart gently. If there is any resistance go over the cuts again with your pairing knife making sure all the cuts go right through to the centre of the apple. Finito!

What is your favourite way to get kids to eat their fruits and veggies?