Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Apple Chips

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We're on week 3 of the Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge, and so far it's been a blast. I mainly get my recipes from other bloggers, my family and sometimes rarely from my own creations... but it wasn't until this challenge started that I realized the plethora of great recipes available through the Food Network.

And, I have to confess. We don't have cable, so I have never seen a Food Network show. Ever. This week, I placed a hold for a DVD of one of the shows!! I can't wait.

Now, this week's challenge comes from the chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli. As I browsed through her recipes, I decided on apple chips because (1) I love dried fruit, (2) her recipe looked different than when I make dried fruit, (3) I love apples, (4) It's fall, and I love apples, (5) I love apples. Wait, did I mention I love apples?



Once the weather cools down, I try to make dried fruit each week... pineapple, peaches, apples.... whatever we want to try. While I like my own dried apples, Frog Prince doesn't so much. I think it's due to the fact that I just dry them in my oven... or so I thought.

What I realized, is I missed a step.... soaking the fruits before drying. That's what Alexandra told me. This does mean I have to think ahead (read: prep the night before), but the result is a delicious apple chip.

Apple Chips - Modified Alexandra Guarnashelli

2 medium apples (your choosing, a crisp flavorful apple is recommended)
2 C water
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, and allow to boil for just a minute or two.



Remove sugar water from heat and allow it to cool slightly.


Meanwhile, peel, core and very thinly (as thin as you can manage) slice the apples.





Place 1 tsp. lemon juice in a large bowl (make sure this bowl can be easily covered). Add to it, the sugar water and stir to combine.

Add the apples, carefully so as to not snap them in half.



Cover, and allow the apples to soak in the mixture for a couple hours, or as Alexandra recommends, overnight.



In the morning, preheat your oven to 200.

Carefully drain the liquid from the apples. Lay out the apples on a paper towel to remove extra liquids.





Then, space out the apples on cookie sheets covered in parchment paper. Place any apples that are sliced a little thicker towards the outside edges.



Place the trays in the oven at 200 and cook for 1-3 hours (check after 1 hour and then thereafter to make sure they don't get too brown).

Turn off the oven when apples are still a little chewy to the touch. Then, leave the apples in the cooling oven to crisp.



Enjoy!



I really like these apple chips. They take less time to make, and they have a crunch/snap to them (I think the sugar helps with that). While I'm not sure I like the idea of adding more sugar to already sweet apples, I might try diluting the sugar water mix more to have the best of both worlds. :)

Check out what other people made from Alexandra this week!

This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

18 comments:

  1. I have never dreid fruit before. I'm certain my girls would like these. They would be a great after school snack. I have to agree, fall is fantastic becuase of the apples!

    Thanks for participating in FNCCC. What DVD are you checking out? I'm off to look at your Chicken Sausage Stromboli post...

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  2. I had a feeling this was the recipe you were going to choose this week. I was NOT on top of my game this week and I haven't made my recipe yet from Alexandra yet. This week has gotten a bit out of hand. I am hoping to get it made for dinner tonight and then post it before the evening is over.

    I will be making these in the coming weeks, you can count on that.

    What did Frog Prince think of them?

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  3. I love really crispy apple chips... I skipped this recipe because of all of the sugar, but I wonder if you can achieve similar results with a fraction of the amount.

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  4. Those look delicious! I have made two batches of your applesauce so far, and today I made your tomato basil bread for supper! Cannot wait to try it:)

    Blessings,
    Cara

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  5. I have my apples soaking as I type, it looked so good I thought I would try it too. We are having an apple week at our house so these will be perfect.

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  6. Frog Prince liked them a lot better (because they are crunchier) than the ones I usually make (without soaking them).

    I tried making them with half as much sugar, and they still turned out great -- next time, I'll try even less to see if you can still get the crunch without adding all the sugar.

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  7. These look delicious and different. I've never made dried apples. Time for a moment of reflection. Thanks for posting these. Have a great day.

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  8. Great job, the apple chips look delicious.

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  9. These look wonderful! I almost made these but opted for a lazier option;) I look forward to reading how they are with less sugar.

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  10. I bet my Grace would enjoy eating those! Happy TMTT!

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  11. I think I would really like these too!

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  12. That look so yummy! Btw, I like your blog a lot, You have so many great recipes.

    I'm having my first giveaway, come and have a look :)

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  13. Apple Chips are great. Especially the ones you make yourself.

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  14. These look delicious. What a great snack to have around.
    Just stopping by via TMTT

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  15. I love this for a healthy snack! Thanks!

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  16. Make sure you don't throw out that sugar solution. That would be a waste. Reuse it for more apples with a fresh splash of lemon juice. or use it to sweeten tea or other drinks, or in recipes like applesauce. Personally, I use Splenda(store brand is just as good) in lesser quantities.

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    Replies
    1. Good tip on saving the sugar water! We don't use Splenda here - non-synthetic sweeteners only in our house. But, good to know it works!

      And, honestly, now that we have a dehydrator, we often just use that, which requires no sugar at all.

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