Using Up the Apples

[snowangel]

What about chutney? No further ideas, but I still have a peck of apples to take care of and would welcome suggestions.

[Arianna]

here's an online cookbook posted by the chef of Lampreia in Seattle. The entire thing is about apples. I haven't made any of it, but it all looks good!

http://www.tastingmenu.com/allaboutapples/default.htm

Check it out!

[Pan]

Apples and red cabbage, with or without onions. Some caraway seeds are good with that. It's a traditional Central/Eastern European recipe. Cook it down in a big pot on the stove until everything is well-blended, serve as a side dish. Hmmm...but I think that's better with a tarter apple...

[Patrick S]

Apples poached in ginger and caramel are good. Tarte tatin is my all time favorite, though that may not be very "untraditional."

[andiesenji]

Check out Recipe Source

It used to be SOAR years ago - the first online recipe place, back in the days when Compuserve cost by the minute to be online.

See the list on page 1 then - -

Click on pages 10, 16, 30, 45 and 81.

Some of my favorites are on those pages.

Apples In Gilded Cages

Apple Cheese Bread pg10

Apelkuchen pg 16

Apple Cream Cheese Pie pg 30

Apple Oat Muffins pg 45

Winter Apple Chutney pg 81

There are lots more but I have tried these with great success.

Do check out the sorbets on page 58 and the Apple-Pie-In-A-Scoop. Use carmelized apples instead of the canned stuff.

[persiancook]

Apple, prune, and lamb stew. It's traditionally made with quince, but works well with apples.

[tryska]

so they have arkansas blacks at the Apple festival eh? I shall have to go one of these years.

the arkansas blacks intrigue me...

[Megan Blocker]

I picked up some gorgeous Golden Delicious apples at a farmers' stand (at the Greenflea market at 77th and Columbus) on Sunday. I think I'll have to go back this week and get a broader sampling of some other varieties. The ones I got were so delicious, practically melt-in-your-mouth.

Edited November 17, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[Claudia Greco]

here's a question - what are "lady apples" used for?

i've seen a lot of these in my farmers market - greenish with a red tinge, and they're tiny - maybe golf-ball sized?

just looking at them i presume they are really sour, and i'm not sure what they would be used for.

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The lady apples aren't sour at all, but they're a b____ to peel or core. I sauteed a bunch of them, flambeed them with Cognac (you can also use Calvados, Applejack, Amaretto, Frangelico . . . you name it) and served them as a Thanksgiving side. Another year, I incorporated them into a Branola (wheat) bread stuffing.

My favorites are the Honey Crisps and the lovely Braeburns, but I'm dying to get my hands on some of heritage ones - the really old apples from England. Has anyone tried the heritage apples and can tell us about them, flavor-wise and usage?

[Pontormo]

here's a question - what are "lady apples" used for?

i've seen a lot of these in my farmers market - greenish with a red tinge, and they're tiny - maybe golf-ball sized?

Actually, Paula Wolfert has an interesting recipe that calls for lady apples. It's in my favorite of the author's books that I own, The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean. It is a stew that calls for boneless lamb of shoulder and about twenty lady apples. I haven't tried it yet, though all the recipes for stews that I have made (a lot) are fantastic. I return to them again and again at this time of year. Quick, the season is short!

And if you can't get your butcher to bone the lamb yourself, check out the instructions offered recently here by jsomethingsomething10, complete with photographs!

While living in Michigan, I had some amazing Arkansas Black apples, though the name is a bit disconcerting to me. I don't ever recall eating Snow apples. Back then, as much as I appreciated the great variety of apples at the farmer's markets, I could not understand a friend's enthusiasm for apple season. To me, it was sad. Amidst the gorgeous colors of the changing leaves, despite the happy prospect of warm doughnuts and fresh apple cider at the end of the bike ride up and down hills beside the river, it still meant that the days of peaches, berries and melon had ended.

My attitude has changed. Here, our apples come largely from West Virginia and Pennsylvania. One of the great discoveries is an apple that does not grow in the north, according to Eddy, because it appears too late in the season, a time when the weather is too severe and the frost has set.

GOLD RUSH is now my favorite apple. It appeared a couple of weeks ago and may be around for a couple more.

It is beautiful, first of all. It looks like something that should be in a painting, a still life, and hardly American. Some apples have more green than others, however, the prevailing color is indeed gold, but with more of an orange hue than you'd imagine, skin speckled a bit with brown around the swollen upper body of the fruit, and the most exquisite ones have brilliant rose-colored blushes .

The flesh is juicy, firm without being as stubborn and dense as a Granny Smith. It is almost but not quite mouth-puckeringly tart. And unlike store-bought Granny Smiths which can sometimes be disappointing and wan, Gold Rush apples are always charged with flavor.

I would never cook them, they're much too good as they are, but they are wonderful sliced on their own, or accompanied by a REALLY good Stilton or peanut butter if so inclined.

Edited to say: I honestly did not read as far as the post above. Well, tryska, now you have at least two sources of inspiration.

Edited November 17, 2005 by Pontormo (log)

[ghostrider]

Funny, I'd never heard of Honeycrisps until this afternoon, when I saw some at a local produce stand. Didn't buy, I was suspicious of the name. And now here's this thread which I didn't see last month. Synchronicity strikes yet again!

Faves - I love Macouns early on, but they seem to get mushier as the months wear on. After they go, Mutsu and Melrose become my top choices, though I've never been able to find them outside of the NYC Union Sq Greenmarket.

Here is a nice page on apple varieties that I stumbled upon.

[Claudia Greco]

Here is a nice page on apple varieties that I stumbled upon.

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Great site! Thank you, Pontormo and Ghostrider, for your insights!

[Milt]

so they have arkansas blacks at the Apple festival eh?  I shall have to go one of these years.

the arkansas blacks intrigue me...

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I have made the loop to Dahlonega, east on GA 52 to East Ellijay, then south on GA 515/I-575 back home twice in recent weeks. We stopped at a couple of orchards on GA 52 and I bought some Arkansas blacks at Hillcrest Orchards, 9696 Hwy 52 East, Ellijay where they offer some six or eight different varieties of apples, along with sweet potatoes which can be mixed in any manner one chooses. Everything is priced by the bag - four sizes from 1/4 peck to 1/2 bushel. The 1/2 bushel bag sells for $10 tax included. My bag held 22# of apples, which made them net $.42/pound. I put five varieties of eating and cooking apples in my bag and have been feasting on them ever since. Samples of all of the apples being sold are available, which provides additional help in deciding which varieties to purchase.

Edited November 18, 2005 by Milt (log)

[Mottmott]

here's a question - what are "lady apples" used for?

i've seen a lot of these in my farmers market - greenish with a red tinge, and they're tiny - maybe golf-ball sized?

...My attitude has changed. Here, our apples come largely from West Virginia and Pennsylvania. One of the great discoveries is an apple that does not grow in the north, according to Eddy, because it appears too late in the season, a time when the weather is too severe and the frost has set.

GOLD RUSH is now my favorite apple. It appeared a couple of weeks ago and may be around for a couple more.

It is beautiful, first of all. It looks like something that should be in a painting, a still life, and hardly American. Some apples have more green than others, however, the prevailing color is indeed gold, but with more of an orange hue than you'd imagine, skin speckled a bit with brown around the swollen upper body of the fruit, and the most exquisite ones have brilliant rose-colored blushes .

The flesh is juicy, firm without being as stubborn and dense as a Granny Smith. It is almost but not quite mouth-puckeringly tart. And unlike store-bought Granny Smiths which can sometimes be disappointing and wan, Gold Rush apples are always charged with flavor.

I would never cook them, they're much too good as they are, but they are wonderful sliced on their own, or accompanied by a REALLY good Stilton or peanut butter if so inclined.

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How right you are Pontormo! Your description is perfect. Our primo local PA orchard, Northstar, has a wonderful variety all season, including the Honeycrisps everyone likes so much, but the honeycrisp season direct from the orchard is really short, 2-3 weeks, and I suspect after that they're from storage. Now the Gold Rush are in and superb. I bought a big batch as the farmers market's closing down this week. NS says Gold Rush stores well, suggesting the garage will hold them for a couple months. I'll report back on how well they keep. If they do show signs of age before I finish them, it's applesauce and applebutter time.

I love one other variety not available from our local orchards as they require a colder climite, Northern Spies. I used to get them in the NYC green markets. They're spectacular, similar in texture to the Gold Rush, though not as pretty. But in a good year they have a superb perfume as well as taste. They're also great in pies.

edited to correct a typo

Edited November 18, 2005 by Mottmott (log)

[Megan Blocker]

So, I went back to Greenflea today to look at more apples...here are some of the things I saw!

Macoun...

Winesap...

Mutsu...

[Kent Wang]

Central Market in Austin tells me that Honeycrisps are out of season now. What cultivar is the most similar to the Honeycrisp that is still in season? I value crispness and juiceness the most, then followed by flavor.

[ghostrider]

Ran arcross a variety I'd not seen before called Pivona at the Union Sq Greenmarket on Monday. Similar in appearance, flavor & texture to a Gala but a bit less sweet.

Have to say that the Fujis I got from the same farmer had superior flavor & crunch.

Edited to note that this is my post #1000 on eG. Another milestone in the frittering of my life.

Edited December 16, 2005 by ghostrider (log)

[Claudia Greco]

Edited to note that this is my post #1000 on eG.  Another milestone in the frittering of my life.

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Congrtulations and happy frittering! Apple frittering? (!!)

[Dukeofyork]

It's almost apple season, so I thought I'd bump this up...

I'm an apple fiend. It's the fruit that has a satisfying crunch, good starch, keeps well, no mess or peel. Oranges, kiwis, peaches ... all nice, but apples are the standby.

Growing up in southern Ontario, we used to pick our own apples every fall. We'd drive out to an orchard and fill two bushel baskets on a glorious, crisp day. MacIntosh, Golden Delicious, Sparten, Empire, Cortland, Jonagold, Northern Spy, and my favourite, the Russet. They would sit in the coolness of the garage until Christmas (if they lasted that long) to be made into pies, muffins, cakes ... and of course, snacks!

Having moved to England, I've been searching out the interesting local varieties with limited success. Braeburns, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Pink Lady (especially), etc., all the 'industrial' varieties are off limits. I call them 'evil apples'... I find the marketing and Weberian rationalisation behind the Pink Lady particularly insidious (Pink Lady).

I've found some North American varieties here (Jonagold, Empire) but I do enjoy the Russets (very similar to those back home), which are a variety that dates to the 16th century (similar to these). Tart, and slightly dry. Cox are OK (a bit sweet - I like tart apples), but new in August are 'Discovery' apples (Discovery). They are super crisp and have a distinct strawberry flavour. They say the rest of the English apples will be out in the market in a week or two, so I anticipate some new discoveries!

[bavila]

I've bought Prima (crisp and sweet-tart, green with a red twinge) my last two trips to the FM, and they are my new favorite. But to keep things interesting, I might pick up some Jonagold or Empire next week.

Does anyone else find the skin of Stayman too thick for eating out of hand? Does it bake well?

[phaelon56]

I've found MacIntosh apples purchased at the supermarket to be lacking in many ways unless it's peak season and they happen to come from a local orchard. They're easy to grow (in relative terms), produce abundantly and are available in fairly disease resistant varieties.

My hometown of Syracuse is about 10 miles north of one of the country's prime apple growing regions: the LaFayette Valley. It's unfortunate but many of the varities that were grown in fair quantities when I was younger have now had their local acreage replaced by the apple types that the supermarket chains want in abundance.

If I want Northern Spy apples for baking, a Red Delicious that actually tastes like a real apple or better yet - a Macoun that really has the unique character of a Macoun - I can't buy them at local stores even in the peak of season.

These less common varieties are grown in much smaller quantities than they were in the past and some. like Macouns, hit maturity at mid season and for a short amount of time.

IMHO a Macoun fresh from the orchard and consumed within no more than one week of being picked (and stored properly in the interim without having beeen transported in bulk) is akin to the platonic ideal of an apple. Crisp, tart yet sweet and so intensely bursting with flavor that each fall in that precious window of when I can eat them (about a month to five weeks) it's as though I have discovered apples again for the first time. This despite the fact that I eat other varieties all year long.

[Chris Amirault]

Bump.

Went apple picking today at Hill Orchards in Johnston RI and got about five pounds each of Macouns, Empires, Cortlands, and Mutsus (a buck a pound -- don't you love fall?).

The Japanese Mutsus were new to me, and they're remarkable. I think that there were only two trees in the orchard that were Mutsu, but there were no apples within reach from outside the tree; I had to climb into the center of the tree and pick them with a long-handled picker basket from there.

Truth be told, all of them were remarkable, even the Yellow Delicious. They're still not my choice, but, boy, a Yellow Delicious right off the tree is a very different beast than the ones you get from the MegaMart.

Wondering what to do with the wee Empires.

[Patapsco Mike]

Great thread. When I bought my current house, I had a perfect spot for two apple trees. I planted golden delicious and honeycrisp. The golden delicious is a spectacular apple. It keeps well, it's sweet and crisp without being overly firm, it preserves beautifully and makes the best dehydrated slices. It is also a very hardy and productive tree. The honeycrisp is better tasting at it's peak, but it is more prone to disease and not as productive as a tree. It also does not store quite as well.

But neither is my favorite apple. I lived in Grand Rapids Michigan for a summer, and worked in an apple orchard. The grower, Phil, gave me quite an education on apples. When it was picking time, I asked him which of the dozen varieties was his favorite. He said "follow me." We walked through the orchard to a tree just loaded with yellow dotted red apples. He picked one and handed it to me. It was just incredible. Sweet and tart with a perfect crunch, great smell, everything. I'd never had an apple nearly as good- and I grew up in the shadow of a big orchard. He said he sold his entire crop of that apple to a small community of Pennsylvania Dutch farmers, and he wished he'd planted ten times that many. I ate my weight in those apples until I left Michigan. That apple was a Paula Red. They can be hard to find, but try them when you see them.

[rooftop1000]

Bump.

Went apple picking today at Hill Orchards in Johnston RI and got about five pounds each of Macouns, Empires, Cortlands, and Mutsus (a buck a pound -- don't you love fall?).

The Japanese Mutsus were new to me, and they're remarkable. I think that there were only two trees in the orchard that were Mutsu, but there were no apples within reach from outside the tree; I had to climb into the center of the tree and pick them with a long-handled picker basket from there.

Truth be told, all of them were remarkable, even the Yellow Delicious. They're still not my choice, but, boy, a Yellow Delicious right off the tree is a very different beast than the ones you get from the MegaMart.

Wondering what to do with the wee Empires.

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Chris how about some baked apple dumplings...yummm wrapped in puff or pie dough

tracey

[snowangel]

Wondering what to do with the wee Empires.

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Assuming that they are nice and crisp, how about a Waldorf Salad?