Favorite apples? Or favorite apple recipes?

[tigereye]

Ever since we started getting community share boxes from local farmers, I remember what apples used to taste like in the 60s, when I was a kid. They had a certain smell and wonderful sharp taste, which seemed to be absent in most grocery store apples as the years wore on. They were tasteless, mushy and lacking in that wonderful diversity.


The last 5-10 years I have been searching out more varieties of apples - Jonathans are my favorite, but I also like Winesaps, Jonagolds, Cortlands, Honey Crisp, McIntosh, etc. I went to an apple festival with local farmers and great pies this fall, and actually got to have a Black Amish apple, which were hand-bred (can't think of the gardening term at the moment) by a local farmer. It was amazing and not cheap, since there are so few of them produced.


I like to eat apples raw for the most part, but there is nothing like good apple pie or crumble.


Any favorite apples or apple recipes? Or ones you grow? :hi:

[eleny]

1. Honey Crisp and Pink Lady for munching

For baking I mostly use Granny Smith.

We're positively addicted to Honey Crisps!

[Duer 157099]

8. Same here on the honeycrisps. I can't seem to enjoy any others anymore

They are just so good! :thumbsup:

[tigereye]

17. I recently had some and they were very good

but not quite tart enough for me.

[grasswire]

2. I had a wonderful time at farmer's market this year

An elder farmer and his wife became my go-to for apples. They are in their 37th year of apple farming, started the year their first child was born. They want to sell the farm as they are now exhausted. But they were at market every week, with many heirloom varieties. One that I really liked is the Cox's gold. Spitzenberg was excellent, too. My all-time fave for cooking is the Gravenstein, but it has a short life and early crop. Only about three weeks. I have bags of those sliced and frozen in the freezer for winter use. Thanks, farmers!

Also, here on the property is an espaliered row of about fifty different apple trees. Each one different. I have tried some of those, but honestly they have been so buggy that I might as well let the birds have them. They are pretty young yet, and not full-bearing.

Love apples! My favorite lunch: grilled cheese on whole wheat bread and an apple.

[tigereye]

18. I think I saw some Gravenstein at the apple fest

[The empressof all]

3. I've been making a lot of fresh Apple Charoset

I've been having it almost every night for dessert. I just grind an apple (or two) in the processor with some raisins, almonds and cinnamon. Give it a hit of Agave nectar and go to town. I sometimes add a splash of wine or rum. It's quick and easy and I don't have to chew it too much so I don't have to think about the teeth. It's also lovely mixed in with Oatmeal for breakfast.

My local fruit stand had local Honey Crisps for 49 cents a pound this week. They are closing next week so everything is rock bottom right now.

[eleny]

4. That sounds like it would be fabulous heated and topped with some sugar free Cool Whip

[The empressof all]

5. It's also really really good mixed in with jello

I use agar agar mixed with apple juice and the ground up apple mixture. Very yummy and filling.

You are right though it's great zapped in the microwave and used as a topping for ice cream. Trader Joes has these amazing Cinnamon Almonds that I've been using but it's also great with Pecans or Hazelnuts and adding your own spices. Cardamom is also really wonderful with it if you get tired of the cinnamon.

[eleny]

6. These days I've had cinnamon almonds on the brain

A friend wanted to find some for her grand niece for the holidays. I found a recipe that sounds so easy to make them at home. So I'm going to make these as neighbor gifts at xmas along with the same homemade marshmallows I made last year. The cinnamon almonds sound real Christmasy.

I also want to try and make them with the granulated Splenda they advertise for baking. Those would be for me and hubby.

[kestrel91316]

7. love my apple-cranberry pie with pecans. Recipe is not at hand, but

it's not hard to wing it. I think I use Golden delicious or Granny Smiths for my pies.

[tigereye]

19. that sounds so good!

[KC]

9. Does anyone

have a good recipe for fresh apple cake ?

[japple]

11. I use the recipe for carrot cake from the Betty Crocker cookbook

and substitute apples for carrots. It's a very good, moist cake.

[KC]

13. What a

great idea ! Thank you

[tigereye]

20. oh, now I want to make apple cake!

The farm stand at my CSA has a lot of apples now. All different varieties.

[joneschick]

10. thinly sliced Honey Crisp

with thinly sliced red onions & bleu cheese. Delish with Newman's Own 3 Cheese Balsamic vinaigrette. :hi:

[tigereye]

21. interesting

[Warpy]

12. I miss Northern Spy apples

but you really can't get them outside New England.

We get MacIntosh here in the wild west the week before Thanksgiving, then they disappear. We don't get pie apples at all, just eating apples, and must make do with a combination of Granny Smith and a sweeter apple so that we get a little texture in the pie instead of just apple flavored goo.

Oh, what I'd give for a bunch of sour Cortlands!

[tigereye]

22. I love Cortlands- just got some winesaps here at a local market that buys a

lot of local produce. I love tart apples- that's why I love the Jonathans.


:hi:

[Lugnut]

14. Macs make delicious applesauce.

They mush up really nicely. Their tartness compliments the sugar and cinnamon I add for cooking them.

[TreasonousBastard]

15. Now that I'm living in orchard country...

I can finally get tree--ripened (almost) apples. Soopermarket apples and pears are picked green and when "ripe" are tasteless and grainy.

Don't have a favorite for munching, they're all good, but I do like Ida M for cooking. Holds its taste better than Granny Smith and stands up well to baking. Can't find them around any more, but there is one orchard that has Ida Red, which is close.

[old mark]

16. Winesap, Mcintosh, Johnna Gold, and a few others - we have at least

4 varieties at home now, and we get many more over the winter.

I love this simple way to bake apples - it's a 1930's recipe, and uses REAL butter and sugar (ONLY!)

preheat oven to 325 - meanwhile, core 4 or 5 large apples (Mcintosh of other tart pie apples)
Remove the peel all around for about 1/2" down from the top. Place apples in sprayed large pie plate (I use glass), add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, about 6 shakes each of cinnamon and nutmeg, and about 10 shakes of powdered ginger. You can add a little vanilla or almond extract if you wish, but that's optional - try them without it first.

Top with a large pat of butter...
Bake till very soft, around 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Serve warm, in a bowl topped with cream or half and half (or whipped cream).

Takes maybe 8 minutes to prepare, and it is a wonderful treat in the winter.

It really helps to have an old fashioned apple corer.

Mark

[tigereye]

23. I used to make those when I was a kid...

[cheri010353]

24. Honey crisp was my favorite

until I tasted Ambrosia. Now honey crisp is second place and pink lady third.