Thursday, September 29, 2011

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Liquid Apples

This weekend, along with trying to get myself back on pace by eating some apples, I also learned about apples and how they get made into cider.

At Clear Creek State Park in Sigel, PA, where I happened to be for the weekend, they had a little program on making cider (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/calendar/view_event.asp?CalendarID=22264) that I checked out.

Here's the spread for those who liked to see the lowdown before getting started:

The ingredients? No flavorings, colorings, sugar, filtering, pasteurization, concentrate or otherwise. Just apples. These were picked right in the park:

Here's the press that does the solids to liquid conversion with the help of a small motor and some good ol' fashioned human elbow grease. The apples go into a small grinder (the box on the upper right) to break them into smaller pieces. The crunched up apples fall into the bucket lined with a mesh bag below. Then the bucket gets slid to the left side under the press and the handle (sticking above the frame, top left) is screwed down to supply the downward pressure needed to get the apples reduced to liquid:

Enough pressing on the apples and those sweet apple juices will start flowing out of their bucket, across the wood tray and into the final bucket:

And finally what I've been waiting for ... some to sample:

Verdict: delicious.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Another Apple Option

Thanks to the University of Minnesota there is a new-ish apple breed, the SweeTango, that sounds like it might be worth keeping an eye out for. Canadian article here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/trends/trends-features/this-falls-juiciest-apple-bite-into-a-sweetango/article2172968/

I don't think I've seen any yet here in Ohio but they sound pretty tasty. 


Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Apple Recipes Galore!

I have a favorite show on NPR called the Splendid Table. It talks all things food and recipes...if you have never listened you must check it out.

Anyway, my weekly newsletter features a new cookbook that is all things apples!

I am taking this directly from the newsletter but the cookbook sounds amazing and a recipe is included below!


GOOD READS

Amy Traverso, senior food and home editor of Yankeemagazine, is the author of The Apple Lover's Cookbook hot off the press. Besides its collection of interesting recipes, it's also a guide to all things apples. We especially like the apple varieties "cheat sheet." Wondering what apple to buy for a rich baked dessert, or which ones are best for a salad or sauce? The cheat sheet tells all.
This spin on a cinnamon bun is one you'll turn to again and again. It tastes like a specialty from a neighborhood bake shop, but it couldn't be easier to make at home.

APPLE-STUFFED BISCUIT BUNS

From The Apple Lover's Cookbook by Amy Traverso (W.W. Norton & Company, 2011). Copyright © 2011 by Amy Traverso. Used with permission of the publisher.
Makes 9 servings
I love a good cinnamon bun — even more with some diced apples wrapped up in the swirls — but I'm rarely organized enough to prep a yeast dough hours in advance of baking. These buns, inspired by the ones I once tasted at the River Run Café in Plainfield, Vermont, are made with a quick biscuit dough. Problem solved!
Apple Notes: This is, indeed, a rich dish. And normally, I like a more acidic apple when cooking with a fair amount of butter. However, these buns just needed something sweet, but still firm. Some favorites for this dish include Jazz, Pink Lady, and Piñata, for their bright, vibrant flavors.
Equipment: 8- by 8-inch baking pan; parchment paper
For the Filling
  • 1-1/4 cups (290 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 5 tablespoons (70 g) salted butter, cut into chunks, plus more for greasing pan
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 large firm-sweet apple (about 8 ounces), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
For the Buns
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 cups (435 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks, 170 g) cold salted butter, cut into small cubes
1. Grease the baking pan with a little bit of butter; set aside. Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, the 5 tablespoons butter, and the cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter (or fork), cut the butter into the sugar, working it in until the mixture looks like wet sand. Put in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the dough.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Sprinkle the butter over the flour mixture and use your fingers to work it in (rub your thumb against your fingertips, smearing the butter as you do). Stop when mixture looks like sand studded with little chunks. Add the egg mixture and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to hold together. It will look quite ragged and not fully blended, but stop there. You want to prevent the butter from melting into the dough — those little chunks will create a flakier texture once baked.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack to the middle position. Dump the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and knead just enough to bring it all together into a ball. Using a rolling pin and bench scraper (or spatula), roll the dough (still on parchment) into a 9- by 15-inch rectangle with straight sides.
4. Sprinkle the dough all over with the brown sugar mixture, leaving a 1-inch border across one of the longer edges. Top with the apples and gently press down. Working from the long edge opposite the border, roll the dough up tightly, jelly-roll-style, using the parchment as an aid. When you reach the border, give the roll a squeeze and turn seam side down.
5. Cut the roll crosswise into 9 equal buns and arrange in the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm, right from the pan.
Copyright © 2011, Lynne Rossetto Kasper.
All Rights Reserved