Apples bring a taste of fall to meals, snacks

Apples are one of the most delicious fall fruit. 

This crisp, crunchy fruit is ideal to eat on its own or in salads, but is also delicious cooked in entrees, side dishes and sauces, and baked into desserts.

Try apples and pork for a classic dinner combination, or apple crisps and pies for a delightful end to a meal. Applesauce is a fall tradition, as is apple cider.

To add complexity to a dish, use a number of varieties. Just remember that some apples are best suited to baking — think Jonathans and Courtlands — others for cooking, including Golden Delicious, and still others for eating in hand, such as honeycrisp.

Although red apples are what people visualize when the topic comes up, this fruit also comes in shades of green and yellow — think Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples. 

Apples not only taste great but also provide essential vitamins, minerals and fiber, with health benefits that make them a super food. After all, as the old saying goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Just remember to eat the peel as well as the flesh, since many nutrients are found in the skin.

According to the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association, eating an apple a day for four weeks can help lower LDL, or bad cholesterol, levels as much as 40%. 

Apples can also help increase the number of good bacteria in your gut, the association states.

The freshest apples are available from September through November, although most varieties are available year-round. Purchase colorful apples that are firm with a fresh, not musty, fragrance and smooth skin without bruises or gouges. 

Some apples have dry tan or brown-colored areas on the skin, called scald, that typically have little or no effect on the flavor.

It’s generally recommended that before using, lightly scrub apples in cool water to remove the wax-like coating and any leftover insecticides.

Don’t forget to brush lemon juice onto cut surfaces to prevent them from quickly turning brown. 

Make sure to store your apples appropriately. Apples ripen six to 10 times faster at room temperature than when kept refrigerated.

Apples should be stored in a cool, dark place. If you don’t have a cold cellar, place apples in a plastic bag and store them in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.

Following are apple recipes from www.sunriseapples.com courtesy of the U.S. Apple Association.

 

 

Apple Cheddar Mac and Cheese

1-1/4 cups elbow macaroni

1-1/2 cups small diced, unpeeled, tart red apples

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons flour

2-1/4 cups whole milk (lower fat milk can be substituted)

1 small bay leaf

2-1/3s cup shredded sharp white or yellow cheddar cheese

1/2 teaspoon dry sherry

Salt 

Ground white pepper 

Cook pasta in large saucepan according to package directions until al dente. Rinse with cold water, then drain well. Return pasta to saucepan. Add apples.

Melt butter in medium heavy saucepan. Add onion and cook over medium heat three minutes, until tender. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, one minute, until fragrant. Slowly stir in milk with wire whisk. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. Add bay leaf, reduce heat to low and cook sauce 10 minutes, stirring often.

Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in two cups cheese and dry sherry. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add cheese sauce to pasta-apple mixture and gently stir until well combined. Transfer mixture to a buttered 1-1/2-quart round casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and panko. Bake in a 350-degree oven, uncovered, 30 minutes, until heated through and lightly browned. Let stand five minutes before serving.

 

 

Peanut Butter Apple S’mores

2 apples, cut into 1/2-inch slices

6 ounces marshmallow cream

4 ounces dark chocolate bar

6 ounces chunky peanut butter

Lay apple slices on a cookie sheet or plate. Spread marshmallow cream and chocolate on half of apples. Spread peanut butter on remaining apples. 

Sandwich each pb-apple with a marshmallow/chocolate apple and serve.

 

 

Apple Bacon Popovers

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

2 cups 1% milk

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 strips turkey bacon

1 large apple

1 tablespoon light, unsalted butter, melted

Apple butter, optional

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and egg whites until well blended. Whisk in milk and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring well with a whisk. Let stand 30 minutes.

`While batter is standing, preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Cook bacon strips until crispy. Drain, let cool and finely chop. Coarsely grate apple, including peel.

Fold the bacon, grated apple and melted butter into batter, stirring until well blended. Pour batter into a nine-cup popover pan coated with cooking spray until three-quarters full. Bake in a 450-degree oven for 18 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 10 minutes. Serve immediately with apple butter.

 

 

Apple Smoothie With Apple Pie Spice

1 large Gala or other eating apple, peeled and seeded

1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened

1 cup almond milk, vanilla (or substitute coconut, soy or dairy milk)

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

4 ice cubes

Put all the ingredients in the blender, in order. Frappe on high to blend. Serve immediately.

 

 

Applesauce Breakfast Parfait

1 apple, cored and chopped

1/2 cup red grapes cut in half

2 cups chunky cinnamon or plain applesauce

2 cups granola

1 cup vanilla Greek-style yogurt

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Combine apple and grapes in a small bowl. 

Layer 1/4 cup applesauce, 1/4 granola and two tablespoons yogurt in each of four serving glasses. Add fresh fruit, about 1/3 cup per serving. Repeat layers of applesauce, granola and yogurt. Sprinkle each serving with one tablespoon toasted walnuts.

 

 

Apple Turkey Chili

2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound 97% lean ground turkey

4 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 15-ounce can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cored and diced, unpeeled mildly tart, crisp apple such as Jonagold

15-ounce can no-salt-added chili beans in chili sauce, undrained

14.5-ounce can no-salt-added small diced tomatoes, undrained

2/3 cup apple cider

1/2 teaspoon packed brown sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons reduced-fat or fat-free sour cream

Thin apple wedges, optional

Thin lime wedges, optional

Cilantro sprigs, optional

Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add onion, jalapeño and garlic and cook two to three minutes, until onion is tender.

Add ground turkey and cook over medium heat six to eight minutes, until turkey is no longer pink, breaking turkey in to 3/4-inch crumbles. Stir in salt, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook 30 seconds. If necessary, drain and discard juices.

Stir in diced apple, black beans, chili beans with sauce, tomatoes, apple cider and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently simmer over low to medium-low heat, covered, 15 minutes or until desired consistency. Ladle chili into bowls. Top with sour cream. If desired, garnish with apple and lime wedges and cilantro.

 

 

Pork Tenderloin With Sausage-Apple Stuffing and Mustard Pan Sauce

4 tablespoons oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves

1/2 plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings

1/2 to 1 large firm-sweet apple, peeled and diced

3 leaves Swiss chard or kale, stems removed, leaves finely chopped

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 pound pork tenderloin

For sauce:

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup heavy cream

Drippings from roasting pan

Put 10 toothpicks in a bowl of water to soak.

Set a 14-inch skillet over medium heat and add two tablespoons oil. Add onion, sage, and salt and cook eight minutes, stirring often, until onions turn translucent. Increase heat to medium-high and add sausage, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks. 

When the meat is cooked through, add apple and chard and cook five minutes, stirring, until greens are tender. Add panko, stir and set aside.

Butterfly pork by making a one-inch-deep cut down the length of the tenderloin, taking care not to cut all the way through. Open the meat like a book, so the meat lies flat.

Cover meat with plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or rolling pin until it is about 1/2 inch thick and at least six inches wide. Sprinkle all over with remaining salt. Spoon filling down the center of the meat, then bring the sides up tightly around the filling. Secure seam with the toothpicks, going down the length of the tenderloin. Tuck any ragged ends in.

Pour remaining oil into the skillet and set over medium-high heat. Brown tenderloin on each side about four minutes, then transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Roast in a 325-degree oven 20 to 25 minutes, until meat is cooked through. Remove from oven, tent loosely with foil and let cool 15 minutes.

Set skillet over medium-high heat and add stock. Bring to a simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon to pick up any browned bits. Add cider and mustard and whisk to combine. Cook until mixture is reduced by half, then stir in cream and any drippings from the pan. Taste to check seasonings, adding additional salt if needed.

 

 

Caramel Apple Bites

2 apples

Caramel dip

Crushed pretzels, popcorn, walnuts

6-inch skewers

Peel apples, then use a melon baller to make apple balls. Stick a skewer in each apple ball and arrange on a plate.

Serve with a bowl of caramel and bowls of crushed pretzels, popcorn and walnuts.

Dip apple ball and enjoy!

 

 

Hot Mulled Cider

6 cups apple cider

3 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

3 strips orange peel, removed with a vegetable peeler

Apples and cinnamon sticks for garnish

In a large saucepan, combine cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange peel and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Strain mixture through a fine strainer or a strainer lined with cheesecloth into a heat-proof pitcher and serve. 

Or if you prefer, strain cider into a pan and ladle into mugs and serve.

Garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks in each mug.

A slow cooker on a low setting can be used to heat the cider for two to four hours.

 

 

SOOOO Gouda Apple Dip

2 ounces Gouda cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes/pieces

1 Gala, Golden Delicious apple or similar apple, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons apricot preserves or marmalade

Pinch of kosher salt 

Black pepper

Gala, Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious apples, sliced thick

Place apples and cheese in small bowl. Add mustard, pine nuts, preserves and seasoning. Stir.

Let mixture rest for a minute for the flavors to blend. Serve with thick apple slices, crackers or both.

 

 

PB, Apple and J

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 8-inch flour tortillas

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

1 to 2 Ambrosia, Gala or other apple, thinly sliced

On a plate or cookie sheet, assemble by spreading one tortilla with peanut butter and apple slices. Spread second tortilla with jam. Put the two tortillas together.

Heat a sauté pan with oil or butter. Carefully cook quesadilla over medium-high heat, flip gently with a large spatula.

Once both sides are crisp and toasty, remove from the heat and cool. Slice each quesadilla into four pieces and serve.