In-Season Swap: Apples

Apples. Yum.

I love apples.

Crisp. Juicy. Flavorful.

Bliss.

God was brilliant for creating apples.

Today's In-Season Swap focuses on apples (in case you hadn't guessed). We are just at the beginning of the apple season, and I'm looking forward to a full season of enjoying apples in their many varieties. These treats are some of my favorite fall foods!

I've been reading a great book - How to Pick a Peach - and the chapter on apples helped me to understand the shift in the apple market over the years. The US used to produce almost entirely Red Delicious apples; this apple now only makes up 1/4 of the apples grown and harvested on US soil. Did you know that Gala and Fuji apples are only 20 years old? Really. The apple market has exploded in the past few decades. With all these new varieties of apples, there are a myriad of different flavors and textures achieved that make some of our favorite fall foods:

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread



Apple Chips



Spiced Country Applesauce



Cherry Apple Crisp



Apple Juice Fruit Cobbler

Crockpot Apple Cobbler



Apple Cake



Apple Fruit Leathers



Apple Cinnamon French Toast



Baked Apples

Crockpot Apple Bacon Pork Chops



Apple Pockets



Crockpot Apple Cake



Apple Crisp



Crockpot Autumn Pork



Apple Granola



Apple Cinnamon Rolls



Apple Pie Muffins

In addition to just using apples as the main part in a dish, applesauce makes a great addition to baked goods as a replacement for oil!

Granola Bar Bites



No Oil Muffins

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Bread

Or, for a myriad of other desserts....! Yum.

However, one of my favorite ways to enjoy fall apples is in a simple apple pie!




Mom's Apple Pie - From the kitchen of my mom


Crust*
1 C flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 T olive oil
1 T butter, melted
1-3 T cold water
(note: this makes 1 crust, double to make a second)

Filling
~6 apples (any good cooking apple)
1/2 C sugar (or less, depending on the tartness of the apples)
2 T flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

To prepare the crust, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Use a fork to cut in the oil and butter until the dough is crumbly. Slowly add enough cold water to get the dough to hold together in a ball. Roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap to create an 11-inch crust. Freeze for about 10 minutes before using.

While crust sets in the freezer, core, peel and slice your apples. Toss in a large bowl with sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.


Remove crust from the freezer and carefully form into a 9-inch pie plate. Fill pie crust with apple mixture. Top with remaining crust, sealing to form an edge. Slice a few slits into the top crust, and place pie on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 45ish minutes, until apples are bubbly and crust is browned. If edges brown too quickly, cover the edges of the crust with tinfoil and continue baking.

Happy Apple-Season :)

Check out what others enjoy making during the fall at URS: Fall Favorites Edition, at Stop and Smell the Chocolates Fall Fruits Festival: Apples and at Our Krazy Kitchen's Fall Season Recipe Round -Up.  


*Crust recipe is adapted from Taste of Home's Light and Tasty.