September 22 - Apples
The Carefree Gourmet -
by Joyce McCombs
I believe one of the reasons I
was put on this earth was to appreciate the people who have green
thumbs. My own efforts at gardening are notoriously pathetic and I
won’t bore you with the great pea and cabbage disaster of 1988.
Suffice to say the moose got their vitamins, and I got a lesson in
humility I’ll never forget. I also threw a tantrum and cussed
some, but that’s another story.
Since then I have become a sort of Zen gardener, not one who rakes
gravel and meditates on the intricate patterns, but one with a
rich fantasy life filled with visions of brilliant tomatoes,
robust zucchini and carrots that are firm and sweet. I imagine
bushel baskets filled with squash and onions and potatoes, all
lined up on my porch, waiting to be canned or frozen or served for
supper to a gang of ravenous farm hands. The fact I don’t can or
freeze anything is a small detail I conveniently ignore and I
can’t remember the last time a single farm hand stopped by for
supper, let alone a whole gang.
Still, my inner gardener is delighted with the whole idea of
growing, tending, and harvesting a garden. There is never any
weeding to do, hungry moose to chase away, or bugs to chew up
leaves in this lovely place. But about mid August, the call of the
fresh tomato snaps me back to reality. I trot down to the farmer’s
market or look for the produce truck from Yakima and spend an
embarrassing amount of money on fresh vegetables and fruit, haul
it home and then realize I have to do something about it quick.
If you find yourself in the same predicament, whether from your
garden bounty or your lack of restraint when presented with fresh
produce, help is on the way. I have yet to figure out why the two
small boxes of apples I buy at the fruit stand look so dang big
when they are sitting on my kitchen counter. After the obvious
apple pie, apple crisp, and apples for snacks, I figured I needed
some inspiration, so today’s recipes are rather apple oriented.
Perhaps it’s time to seek out your inner Gourmet and try these
ideas soon.
APPLE DAPPLE CAKE
The golden raisins should remind you of “dappled” sunlight through
apple tree branches. The cake is fine without the boiled topping,
but it’s mighty fine with it, also!
1 1/4 cups oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups peeled, diced apples
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 and generously butter or spray a bundt or
angle food cake pan. Cream oil, sugar and eggs. Add soda, salt,
flour and cinnamon, which have been sifted together. Fold in
apples, nuts, raisins, and vanilla. Pour evenly into pan and bake
for one hour. Test for doneness, and bake up to an additional 20
minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake about
fifteen minutes, then gently cut loose from sides and punch holes
in top with toothpick or fork so topping can drizzle through:
For topping, combine in a small saucepan over medium heat:
1 cup brown sugar,
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla.
Bring to boil for 3 minutes, remove from heat and let rest one
minute, then pour over warm cake, taking care to let topping
drizzle into punched holes. Wait about 20 minutes before removing
from pan to serve so topping will set.
Autumn Mega Muffins
Sturdy enough for lunch boxes, sweet enough for after school
treats and portable enough breakfast on the go. If you’re fond of
dried fruit like cranberries, dates or raisins, they make a fine
addition. If you can use Delta carrots, you’ll have a sweet reward
with every bite. Makes about 25 muffins.
Preheat oven to 375 and have paper lined, non stick or well
greased muffin tins ready.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
6 egg whites, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 quart (about a pound) grated carrots
1 quart shredded apples (skin on for flavor)
Combine flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon
and nutmeg in large bowl and set aside.
In separate bowl, mix yogurt, orange juice, maple syrup, egg
whites, oil, vanilla, orange peel, grated carrots and apples until
well combined.
Stir apple mixture into dry ingredients just until moistened; do
not over mix.
Scoop 1/3 cup batter into muffin tins. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes,
until tops spring back when lightly touched.
Fresh Pickled Apples
I had to read this recipe very carefully – it sure didn’t sound
good at first! Use these apples with cheese and crackers or in
salad as a kind of sweet and tangy condiment. Best of all, there’s
no hot water bath processing! They’ll be content in the fridge for
up to three days.
1 cup water
1/2 cup good quality cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 slices (1-inch x 2-inch) gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon pickling spice
2 firm Red Delicious apples
Quarter apples lengthwise and remove cores. Quarter each piece
again and arrange in a clean quart jar and set aside.
In saucepan over medium heat, stir together water, vinegar and
sugar until sugar dissolves. Simmer without stirring for 5
minutes. Remove from heat. Add gingerroot, salt and pickling
spice, stirring well.
Pour hot pickling liquid over apples. Use a piece of wax paper
folded up in the top of the jar to keep the apples submerged in
the pickling liquid. Let cool completely at room temperature, then
cap jar tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 3
days.
Harvest Medley Soup
Apples, spuds and cheese mingle to make this soup just the thing
to warm up your woodcutters, hunters and hikers after a busy
Saturday. Add a loaf of good bread and a green salad and dinner is
served.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 cup white wine
5 cups chicken broth
4 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Diced unpeeled apple for garnish
Find your big stock pot and get the oil going over medium heat.
Add apples, potato, celery, onion, and thyme. Sauté and stir for
about 10 minutes until onion is clear but not brown. Stir in wine
and stir 2 minutes; add broth, reduce heat, cover and simmer 45
minutes.
In blender or food processor, puree soup in three small batches,
taking care lid is on tight. Return to saucepot; over very low
heat, stir in cheese, cream, nutmeg, and pepper. Cook just until
heated through--do not boil or cheese will curdle. Garnish with
diced apples.
Bright Beet Salad
A good side dish with salmon, this salad packs a big punch of
flavor and color. Give it time to absorb the spicy dressing – at
least an hour in the fridge is best, but overnight is better.
4 Granny Smith or other tart, firm apples, peeled, cored, and
sliced
1 can (16-ounce) julienne beets, drained
1/2 cup sliced radishes
1/4 cup diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash hot sauce
Combine apples, beets, radishes, and green onions in a large bowl
and set aside. In small bowl, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, allspice,
salt, pepper, and hot sauce; pour over apple mixture and toss
well.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
Spicy Mini Burgers
If you’re like me and can’t even think of pork chops without a
side of applesauce, here’s a new way to combine those terrific
tastes. Grated apple provides the moisture and plum sauce provides
a surprising spice. Look for it in the Asian grocery section. I
think these would be great on toasted, oversized buttermilk
biscuits that come in a tube.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound extra lean ground pork
1 cup grated apple (skin on)
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup spicy plum sauce
1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, ground ginger
Cook onion in skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until
tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute until very
lightly browned. Remove from heat and let cool.
In bowl, stir together pork, grated apple, breadcrumbs, plum
sauce, salt, pepper, ginger and cooked onion and garlic mixture
until well combined. Use about a quarter cup of mixture to make
half inch thick patties.
Brown patties in nonstick skillet about 5 minutes per side. Serve
on toasted rolls or biscuits with extra plum sauce and lettuce.
