Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Apples and Their Uses
From turnovers to tarts, pies to pastries, apples have an almost endless list of uses. Want to work more fruit into your diet? Try out a recipe with apples. Want to make something sweet AND healthy for the kids? You got it--try out a recipe with apples.

Braeburn
A wonderful blend of tart and sweet flavors. They are aromatic, crisp and juicy. All-purpose. A good choice for baking. Doesn't brown quickly when cut, making it excellent for salads. 
Cameo
A pleasantly sweet-tart flavor and firm texture. Excellent both cooked and fresh - a wonderful dessert apple.
Fuji
Sweet, mild, crisp and juicy. Keeps well. Excellent for fresh eating and salads.They are excellent when eaten fresh. They are also fine for cooking and they store well.
Gala
Gala ripens in late summer, and is best enjoyed for fresh eating during its harvest season from late August through September. Excellent for salads. CAUTION: Cooking destroys both its aroma and texture.
Ginger Gold
Sweet, tangy and juicy, Ginger Gold apples are harvested in early August. Fabulous for fresh eating… Makes a wonderful pie and is excellent for snacking and salads, too!
Golden Delicious
Not related to Red Delicious Market season is from October until Spring. All purpose apple. Excellent for eating, salads, sauces. Good to use in pies and baking - good for freezing.
Granny Smith
Mrs. Maria Smith nurtured the first seedling in the mid 1800's. A richly flavored apple, the Granny Smith is the world's best known green variety. Market season is year-round. Good for all-purpose use. Granny Smith apples are crisp. They are excellent for salads and fresh eating. Good for baking. Their tangy flavor comes through when baked and sautéed.
Honey Crisp
All purpose. Holds its shape fairly well when baked. It has an "explosively" crisp texture and is best for fresh eating. Market season is September through October.
Jonagold
Sweet with a hint of tartness. Excellent for fresh eating, salads, sauces, baking. Good for use in pies and freezing. 
Jonathan
They hold their shape and retain their full flavor when cooked. Market season is September to December. Used either raw or cooked. Great for fresh eating and baking. Makes a terrific pie. 
McIntosh
First apple tree planted by John McIntosh about 1811. Market season is September to June. All purpose apple. Good in salads and pies.
Pink Lady                                                                                                               Use as a dessert apple with cheese, as a snack on its own, in salads or for pies.
Red Delicious
Sweet and juicy, it is usually eaten raw. The market season is from October until Spring. Best for snacking and in salads. They are poor for baking.
Red Rome (Rome Beauty)
Slightly tart. Market season is October to August. One of the best apples for cooking, and is best for baking. They are a good choice for baked apples, as they tend to hold their shape well and taste rich when cooked. A favorite for salads.
Sausage and Apple Stuffing
This recipe takes inspiration from the plethora of Dried Fruit, Apple, and Pork stuffing combinations out there. 
So to save some time… you will use bread that already includes dried fruit. This stuffing is rich, hearty, and easy to put together for Thanksgiving.  
I love Stuffing!

·       1 pound 12-Grain Raisin Sourdough Bread or your favorite stuffing bread (preferably one with fruit), cut into 3/4" cubes (about 10 to 12 cups cubes)
·       1 tablespoon vegetable oil
·       1 pound pork sausage meat
·       1 1/2 cup finely diced onion
·       2 cups (4 large stalks) chopped celery
·       2 cups peeled, cored, chopped (1/2" pieces) Granny Smith apples (or other tart baking apples; about 2 small apples)
·       1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) melted unsalted butter
·       1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
·       1 teaspoon salt
·       1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
·       1 tablespoon dried parsley (or up to 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley)
·       3 large eggs, beaten

Directions:
·       Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-quart casserole pan or 9" x 13" pan.
·       Place the bread cubes into a large bowl, and set aside.
·       Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
·       Brown the sausage meat, breaking it up with a spoon until it's completely cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
·       Transfer the cooked sausage to the bowl with the bread cubes, leaving the hot fat in the pan. Toss the bread with the sausage until the two are evenly incorporated.
·       Return the pan to the heat and add the onion, celery, and apple. Cook until the onions are translucent and everything has softened.
·       Transfer the vegetable mixture to the bread cubes/sausage, stirring to incorporate.
·       Stir in the butter, stock, salt, pepper, and parsley, mixing thoroughly.
·       Stir in the beaten eggs. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared pan.
·       Bake the stuffing for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is crunchy and sizzling.
·       Remove the stuffing from the oven. Allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.  You will have 8 to 12 servings.
    
Apple Pie Cookies!
I am not a Pie maker… 
no I am not. 
BUT, I can make these Little 
Pie Cookies!  
You have 
Pie Crust… Sticky Caramel… and Apple Pie filling!
To.Die.For.Delicious!
How about a platter of these on Thanksgiving? That would be YES!

What you Need:
·       1 Box of frozen Pillsbury Pie Crust (2 sheets per box)
·       Approx. 1 Can of Apple Pie Filling (just enough for a thin layer)
·       Approx. 1 Cup of Caramel Sauce (just enough for a light coating)
·       1 Egg (for egg-wash)
·       2 tbsp. Cinnamon/Sugar
·       1 tbsp. Nutmeg
·       Flour just for sprinkling
·       A round cookie cutter (any size you like)

Directions:
·       Lay out a sheet of Pie Crust, sprinkle it with some flour and slightly roll it out, just to increase its surface area.
·       Pour some of the Caramel Sauce (Just enough to coat the crust) onto the crust and evenly spread it around, creating a thin layer of caramel…
·       Coarsely chop the Apple Pie Filling into small pieces…
·       Top the caramel layer with a layer of the chopped up Apple Pie Filling, making sure not to add too much pie filling…
·       Roll out the second sheet of Pie Crust the same size as the first sheet, and slice it into strips…
·       Create a lattice crust (just like on a pie) for the top of the pie filling…DON’T do what I did and create the lattice on the counter, it’s not fun getting it on top of the bottom crust… ugh!    Create your lattice on top of the actual filling, as if it were a pie! (Let’s remember… I am not a pie maker!)
·       Dip your cookie cutter into some egg wash and cut out your Pie Cookies…
·       Brush the tops of them with some egg wash and sprinkle them with the Cinnamon Sugar and Nutmeg…
·       Place them onto a baking sheet and bake them at 350 degrees for approx. 20-25 minutes, until they’re golden and firm.   Let them cool just a little…
·       While they are still a little warm eat one…or five. Now that I think about it… would these not be divine with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top and perhaps a drizzle of caramel sauce?  Just a thought…
           Recipe source: ohbiteit.com  

Salted Caramel Apple Crumble
Apples…Caramel…Crumble Topping = Heaven! This could be an impressive addition to your Thanksgiving desserts.
For the Caramel Sauce-
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter                                  

1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Crumble-
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Apples-
4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
·       For the Caramel Sauce- heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat to melt sugar. Continue cooking and swirling sugar until it turns amber in color. Whisk in sea salt and heavy cream. Mixture will bubble up violently briefly. Continue whisking until sauce is smooth in consistency. Stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside.
·       For the Crumble- combine all ingredients together using a stand mixer. Mixture will be crumbly, but stay together when squeezed. Set aside.
·       Prepare Apples and toss in lemon juice. Cook apples in a large cast iron skillet over medium low heat in butter to draw out moisture. Sprinkle with salt to draw out all the moisture possible. Drain apples and place back into skillet. This process should take about 5-7 minutes of cooking.
·       Pour 3/4 of prepared caramel sauce into the apples and stir gently. Top with the crumble topping. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and serve with remaining caramel sauce. 
 Pumpkin Magic Cake
What’s so magical about this cake?
Here’s the deal with this 
Pumpkin Magic Cake – 
It has a little bit of everything to please just about everyone...

A layer of Pumpkin Pie on the bottom… 
A layer of Cake in the middle…
Finished off with a sweet layer of Pumpkin Pie Spiced Pudding-Frosting…
This dessert is a definite crowd               pleaser! Make it!

For the Cake…
o   1 box of yellow cake mix PLUS ingredients needed to make (eggs, water, oil)

o   For the Pumpkin Pie…
o   1 (15oz) can Pumpkin Puree
o   1/2 cup evaporated milk
o   1/2 cup heavy cream
o   3 eggs
o   1 cup brown sugar
o   1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

o   For the Frosting…
o   1 (4 serving size) box vanilla instant pudding mix
o   1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
o   1 cup cold milk
o   8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed

Instructions
1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.   Prepare box of cake mix according to package instructions, and then pour into a lightly greased 9"x 13" cake pan. DO NOT BAKE. Set aside.
3.   In another bowl whisk together the ingredients for the Pumpkin Pie (pumpkin, evaporated milk, cream, eggs, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice), until smooth. Slowly pour the pumpkin pie mixture all over the cake mix.
4.   Carefully place cake into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the center is no longer jiggly, and a toothpick inserted into cake mix comes out clean. NOTE: The cake might be slightly darker than normal, but still tastes great. Let cool to room temperature.
5.   Make the FrostingPlace the vanilla pudding mix into a large bowl, add the pumpkin pie spice and pour in the cold milk. Whisk until combined and starting to thicken. Gently fold in the Cool Whip until it's completely combined. Spread on top of the cooled cake.
6.   You can serve now, or chill the cake, and serve when chilled. Either way tastes great. Enjoy!
Notes…Before baking the cake, you can place it on top of a rimmed baking sheet just in case any of the cake spills over the edge of the pan while baking.
Recipe source… http://www.iwashyoudry.com  I LOVE this site!!







                                           

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