I have been teaching for almost 30 years, and I think I have received an apple from a student maybe...twice. I wonder why this stereotype still exists?
It is September, and that means the Honey Crisps are at the markets in Washington State, and throughout the Northwest. I could eat them all day!
Almost as big as your head, and an exquisite combo of sweet and tart, and they snap when you bite into them.
Let's talk apples!
I have fond memories of helping my grandmother make dozens of jars of applesauce. My grandparents had several apple trees in their yard..Gravenstein and Yellow Delicious, which Grandma called "transparents."
My Grandpa would take a paper sack and pick up apples off the ground if they looked like they could be saved. Yellow jackets covered the downed fruit, but he never got stung. Grandma made pies and applesauce with the Gravensteins as their sweetness could not be matched!
She would carefully peel the apples by hand, cutting away the bad parts, and I would chew on the peelings to get all of the good stuff off of them. Cutting the apples up roughly, she would fill a giant pot with them on her stove, add a little water, a little sugar and a little lemon juice, turn up the heat, and let it sit all afternoon. She would stir and taste and add more sugar or more lemon juice, and finally some cinnamon. When she got ready to ladle them into jars, I always was given a small bowl full of hot applesauce..it was like eating the insides of a pie. The jars were filled, sealed, processed in boiling water, and then stored in the basement where it was cool.
I never saw her use a recipe..she depended on how things tasted. The end result was an applesauce that was thick and chunky with the fragrance of cinnamon.
My new favorite apple is the Honey Crisp. According to their official website " Honeycrisp Apples were developed at the University of Minnesota. Honeycrisp apple is a cross between Macoun apple and Honey Gold apples and is extraordinarily crisp and juicy with a wonderful aroma and flavor." I have to be careful how much fruit I eat because of blood sugar issues, but I will treat myself to half an apple after dinner as dessert.
Unlike other kinds of apples found in Washington that can be kept in cold storage for a long time, Honey Crisps are a once a year treat here. They bruise easily and don't store for very long, so if you get some, you need to eat them up right away!
For dinner tonight I am having BBQ porkchops with homemade Gravenstein apple sauce on the side. Let's look at some recipies for all those wonderful varieties that are showing up now.
From the Washington Apple Commission
Curnchy Apple Salsa with Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
Salsa
2 cups chopped, cored apples ( your choice )
1 Anaheim chile pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup lime juice
salt and black pepper
Grilled Chicken
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Prepare Salsa: In medium bowl, combine apples, chili pepper, onion, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste; cover and set aside while preparing chicken. (If making several hours or day ahead, refrigerate salsa.)
- Prepare Grilled Chicken: In large bowl, combine white wine, apple juice, lime zest, salt, and pepper. Add chicken and turn to coat with mixture; cover and refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes.
- Heat grill. Drain and discard chicken marinade. Grill chicken until cooked through; serve with salsa.
I am a toast fanatic. This bread is heavenly when toasted or even just served warm.
Apple-Cinnamon Granola Bread
Yield: 1 loaf, 12 servings
2-1 / 2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1 / 4 cups whole wheat flour
3 / 4 cup granola
2 tablespoons sugar
1 envelope (1/4 ounce or 2 1/4 tsp) Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 / 2 cup water
1 / 2 cup milk
1 / 2 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, granola, sugar, undissolved yeast, salt, and ground cinnamon. Heat water, milk, applesauce, and butter until very warm (120 to 130 F). Gradually add to dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
Roll dough to 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Beginning at short end, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Place, seam side down, in greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.
I love the combination of sweet and salty. My friend Roxanne makes this recipe for appetizers:
Apple, Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Bruschetta
Ingredients:
8 slices firm, crusty bread, about 3x4 inches each
8 thin slices prosciutto, (about 1/4 lb.)
1 Fuji apple, cored and very thinly sliced
1/4 cup goat cheese, softened at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves, or 1/4 teaspoon
dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Prep:
Preheat broiler. Combine cheese, thyme and black pepper; set aside. Place bread on baking sheet; broil, about 6 inches from heat, until lightly toasted. Loosely pleat prosciutto onto bread. Cut each piece of bread in half and arrange apple slices, then cheese mixture, over prosciutto.
Place bruschetta on baking sheet. Broil until cheese softens slightly.
And finally, this has become one of my favorite salads, easy to prepare and very healthy!
6 cups combination of different kinds of lettuce..romain, butter, etc.
3 grilled chicken breasts, roughly chopped
4 oz. bleu or goganzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 c. candied walnuts, roughly chopped.
2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, Mackintosh or Honey Crisp apples, sliced, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Fruit-based vinegar and oil dressing, amount to taste.
Wash lettuce in cold water, spin or pat dry and tear into bite sized pieces and place in 4 bowls.
Remove skin from grilled chicken and slice into bite sized pieces, and arrange on top of the lettuce.
Sprinkle about 1 oz of cheese over the top and add the chopped candied walnuts and chopped apples.
Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.
This salad can be an entire meal in itself.
This time of year is great for traveling the back roads, looking for small fruit stands that sell jugs of spicy apple cider. Enjoy the delicious bounty of late summer, and tell us what YOU are having for dinner tonight.