Apple Cookbook (14 page)
Authors: Olwen Woodier
APPLE TIPS
When cooking with apples, it’s handy to know that:
1 pound of apples yields 4 cups when chopped or sliced, and 1½ cups of applesauce.
1 pound of apples may contain 4 small, 3 medium, or 2 large apples.
Apple juice and apple cider can be used interchangeably in recipes.
2–2½ pounds of apples will suffice for a 9- or 10-inch pie. That means 9–10 small apples, 7–8 medium apples, or 5 large ones.
Overripe apples, once the bruises have been removed, make good applesauce or cider.
Underripe apples can be chopped, diced, sliced, and grated for sautéing with vegetables or for putting into cakes, muffins, pies, and other cooked dishes.
Sliced or cut apples will stay white longer if dropped into a bowl of water containing 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. (Cortland and Golden Delicious do not discolor as quickly as other varieties.)
When recipes call for unpeeled apples, the apples always should be washed first. That not only ensures the removal of dirt or contaminants accumulated during handling and transportation, but eliminates the possibility of residual pesticide consumption.
N
OTHING SEEMS TO MEET WITH MORE APPRECIATION
than a fresh-baked apple pie. Fresh apples, fragrant with cinnamon and lightly sugared, fill a tender, flaky pastry. Although “easy as pie” doesn’t seem as easy today as it did to our grandmothers, pies are so yummy and beautiful that it is worth the effort to master the making. If you are more comfortable with batter, there are lots of scrumptious apple cakes that will fill your kitchen with good baking smells.
Pies & Cakes
Harvest Apple Pie
This is my basic apple pie; the only way I vary it is by using different apples (sometimes I use more than one variety) or by rolling out a very large circle of pastry, placing it in a pizza pan, and folding the pastry over the apples to create a very large, half-moon shaped pie
.
pastry for a double 9- or 10-inch piecrust (pages 113–115)
¼ cup melted apricot jam or marmalade
5 large apples (Ida Red, Jonathan, Golden Delicious, or a mix of several varieties)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
1½ teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1
. Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9- or 10-inch pie plate.
2
. Roll out half of the pastry and fit it into the pie plate. Brush with the melted jam and refrigerate.
3
. Peel, core, and cut the apples into ¼-inch slices. Place in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice.
4
. Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5
. Layer half of the apple slices in the chilled pie shell and sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture. Repeat the layers. Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter over the apples.
6
. Roll out the top crust, place over the filling, trim and flute the edges. Cut 3 steam vents in the center.
7
. Brush with the milk and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
8
. Bake in the middle of the oven for 50–60 minutes. If the edges of the crust start to brown too quickly, cover with strips of aluminum foil. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Yield: 8 servings
A lovely, citrus-accented apple tart that I always vow I’ll make more often, because it is so delicious and also so easy to assemble
.
pastry for a single 10-inch piecrust (page 113)
1 egg white, beaten
10 large apples (Mutsu/Crispin, Winesap, Jonagold, or a mix of 14–15 Golden Delicious and Braeburn)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup orange, lemon, or apple marmalade
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup apple jelly or marmalade
1
. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 10-inch pie plate or flan tin.
2
. Roll out the pastry and fit it into the pie plate. Flute the edges, brush the bottom with the egg white, and then refrigerate.
3
. Peel, core, and cut the apples into ½-inch slices. Place half the apples in a 3- or 4-quart saucepan (don’t overcrowd the apples, or it will take longer for the juice to evaporate). Place the remainder in a medium-sized bowl. Add the lemon juice and granulated sugar to the bowl; toss to coat the apples.
4
. To the apple slices in the saucepan, add the brown sugar, orange marmalade, brandy, if desired, and butter. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, beat the mixture, and cook for 5–10 minutes longer. The mixture should be thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and cool.
5
. When the applesauce has cooled slightly, spoon it into the chilled pie shell and arrange the tossed apple slices decoratively on top. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes longer.
6
. Melt the apple jelly and brush over the baked apple slices. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
