Apple Cream Sauce

adapted from “The Art of Grilling” by Kelley McCune

A sauce or side dish that’s best when served along with grilled pork. I recommend an apple such as Jonagold for its ability to maintain shape after sauteing and its honey-sweet flavor, a good complement to pork.

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 apples such as Jonagold, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
• heaping Tbsp of chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat, add apple slices and saute until just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add cream and reduce liquid until it simply coats the apples, about another 1 -2 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, gently toss with chives

An alternative to chives, fresh chopped sage would be equally suitable.

Apple Pie

Apple pie is America’s favorite pie and with this distinction comes countless recipes for what each baker considers the best. In my opinion the best apple pie starts with the best essential ingredients - the apples and the crust. The rest is up to each individual to experiment, testing new ideas over time. Apple pie is quite resilient to such alterations on a basic recipe so don’t be afraid to try something different. Here’s a basic recipe followed by some variations that I like.

• 2.5 lbs of tart, firm cooking apples, pealed, cored, and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 Tbsp. of flour
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• Double pie crust

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the apple slices, coating them well.

Add a bottom crust to a 9 inch pie pan, pour in the apple mixture, and top with crust. Make sure both your bottom and top crust overlap the pan’s edge enough so to fold the top crust under the bottom and pinching the edges together. Cut one or two vents in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape while baking.

Cover the crust edges with foil and bake the pie for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven when the crust is golden and juice is bubbling out of the crust vents. Set the pie on a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Alternatives

Like I said at the top, this recipe is just a starter. I’m a big maple flavor fan so I always add a little Grade B Maple Syrup to my pie filling. Also, after filling the pan but before adding the top crust I dot the top of the apples with a small amount of butter. Beware that by adding the additional liquids you might consider more flour to prevent the pie from being runny. If you like raisins add 1/2 cup to the filling. I like to spice up the top crust a little by brushing a small amount of milk over the top crust to aide browning and then sprinkling a coat of sugar and cinnamon over top.

When serving apple pie we all know how well French vanilla ice cream tastes along side a warm slice of pie. Another favorite of mine is to serve aged sharp cheddar cheese along side the pie.

Apple Sauce

The secret to really good apple sauce is there is no secret. Begin with the freshest of apples, cut into large chunks. For a smooth sauce try Macintosh apples. Cook them in a pan with a small amount of water and sugar to taste for about 15 - 20 minutes. You might add small amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, or even butter, but only if the apples are not optimally fresh. Run the cooked apples though a food mill to separate out the skins, core, and seeds. For chunky applesauce, peel and core Northern Spys or another apple that will keep its structure when cooked. When cooked, serve warm with pork chops or pork loin.

Baked Almond Stuffed Apples

from “Food and Wines 2002 Cookbook”

This is a fantastic recipe that takes your basic baked apple and adds to it additional fruit and nut flavors. This along side a late harvest dessert wine is a sure winner for the autumn and winter months.

• 4 Ida Red or Fuji Apples
• 3 Tbsp. slivered blanched almonds, lightly toasted
• One 2.3 oz box of ameretti (almond cookies) finely crumbled
• 1/3 dried currants
• 2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup apple juice
• 2 Tbsp. dark rum

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix almonds, amaretti crumbs, currants, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest. Add butter and mix well using your fingers.

Cut a 1/4 inch slice from the top and bottom of each apple (the bottom slice helps the apple stand in the pan). Using an apple corer remove the core, entering from the top down to 1/2 inch from the bottom. Score the apple skin from top to bottom, circling the apple at inch and a half intervals. Place the four apples in an 8×8 baking dish, making sure apples do not touch one another, stuff each with filling, mounding the filling above the tops. Pour the apple juice and rum around the apples.

Bake for 20 minutes uncovered, then loosely cover with foil and continue baking for 45-50 or until the apples are quite soft. Transfer each apple to a plate and spoon the pan juices over top.

Apple Coffee Cake

Submitted by Marie, a regular at AFE.net.

Marie submitted this recipe in response to my plea for new ways to prepare apples. She’s been making it for years and can’t remember where she found it originally. When her adult children come to visit they have no problem finishing off the entire cake!

• 5 cups apples, cored. peeled,chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups flour (try using whole wheat or a blend of white and wheat)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray. Mix together the apples, sugar, raisins, and pecans. Stir in oil vanilla, and egg. In a separate bowl mix the remaining dry ingredients together - flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Blend both mixes together and turn batter into the pan, bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream or pour a bit of heavy cream or half and half over top. Enjoy!!