Pennington Amy - Apples, from harvest to table: 50 recipes plus lore, crafts and more starring the tried-and-true favorite

apples

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introduction

When I first starting telling people I was working on a cookbook dedicated to apples, the most common response was joyful exuberance. My sister immediately offered to share the recipe for her famous Christmas breakfast of apple-baked French toast. Plenty of others either offered suggestions or put in requests. What became quickly apparent is that everyone loves apples.

Apples come into season anywhere from summer to late fall, making them the quintessential season identifier for fall, though they keep nearly year-round in cold storage. Almost everyone, however, associates apples with crisp and sunny fall afternoons that require sweaters, smell of earth, and are filled with bright autumnal leaves. Every fall apples are harvested and binned in large wooden crates, further romanticizing this fruiteven stacked in a field in crudely stamped boxes, they are undeniably gorgeous.

There are thousands of cultivars of apples. The trees originated in Asia and were then brought to Europe. Our European ancestors brought the trees to America, where today we are the worlds second largest global producer of apples with over half our supply coming out of Washington State. Apples are grown for variety of usesfresh eating, cooking, and cider production among them. New cultivars are being created all the time, but older apple varieties, often referred to as heirlooms, tend to have greater variance in shape, color, and flavor. Typically, they are not produced in large quantities, because they are less either resistant to disease or do not produce as prolifically as a commercial variety does.

This means that apple availability varies from state to state. Some may have only the most popular varieties to choose fromRed Delicious, Granny Smith, and Gala among them. Thankfully, with a bevy of online farmers and specialty companies that ship, almost anyone can have any apple they please.

In the kitchen, apples can easily span across meals, and should. Cherished for their juicy sweetness, many varieties hold up equally well in savory dishes. They pair with typical fall flavors such as squash and sage, and can be eaten raw, roasted, shaved, dried, and sauted with excellent results. Sweet apple dishes are easy to imagine, and there are far more ways to enjoy them than just traditional apple pie, which I have to admit Im often too lazy to make.

Im preferential to heirloom varieties, having grown up in New York with apple orchards close by and now living in Washington State where apple varieties are constantly being developed. East Coast and West Coast varieties differ, but both are nonetheless appealingeach offers something exciting. Be sure to check out the East Versus West sidebar .

For me, a perfect fresh and raw apple has a balance of sweetness and acidity in addition to a crispy bite. I like thicker apple skins that make you chewthe extra fiber is super healthy, and the sweet flesh is the reward. You may prefer juicier applesthose that leave juice running down your chin, and they do exist in perfectly ripe Honeycrisps. Eating apples are best used in salads and any recipe calling for a fresh apple.

As for baking apples, there are many to choose from, each with its own unique characteristics. When you select a baking apple, its best to consider what you are hoping for in the final result. Some apples cook quickly to a fine pulp, like the pink-hued Winesap. Granny Smiths, on the other hand, will hold their shape when cooked, making them a nice choice if youre baking pie or want a cooked apple with a bit of structure.

It would take too much time to try to memorize what apples are best for particular recipes, so instead I suggest that you let your taste buds be the guide. Try to take advantage of fall harvest by eating apples as often as you can. Over time, youll develop your own selection process and pinpoint your favorites. I like Spitzenburg, Liberty, Winesap, and Pippin the best.

I created these recipes in the hope of covering all of your apple bases. I include traditional recipes, like apple pie, along with nontraditional meals such as the Savory Barley-Stuffed Apples. Trying to break from the norm, there are a handful of recipes that come together easily and yet offer new and exciting flavor profiles. One of my favorites is apple slices tossed in lime and honey, served alongside a sugared ginger muesli. Try ityoull love it! All recipes call for unpeeled apples, unless otherwise noted, for an extra boost of fiber and color. I have apples as meals and apples as snacks, and I even included a selection of apple crafts for kids. Its nice to keep little hands busy while youre in the kitchen cooking.

Now howdya like them apples?

Serves 6

Crepes are very much like pancakes in their preparation, though they are made in paper-thin disks that are folded before serving. These crepes are leavened with a small bit of beer, which also gives them an earthy and complex flavor that complements the syrupy caramel apples. Apples are caramelized in the oven here, freeing up stovetop space for crepe making. Cider or juice bakes down to a syrup, scented with ground cinnamon.

SUGGESTED VARIETIES:Choose apple-y apples, like Golden Delicious, Rome, or Granny Smith.

CREPES

2 cups milk

teaspoon salt

teaspoon sugar

cup ( stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan and serving

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cups all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

cup lager beer

1 whole vanilla bean pod, split, seeds reserved

APPLES

3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cut into -inch wedges