Most ingredients gain their loyal devotees through cooking. But not apples, which seduce us long before they enter our kitchens. From the time we're young, the fruit embeds itself into our eating consciousness through myths, literature, maxims and the brown-bag lunch. Given apples' cultural weight and widespread accessibility, it's surprising they aren't even more of a cooking muse. Apple pie aside, the fruit sees a fraction of the excitement that other crops receive. It's almost as if all that early exposure we get leads to tedium in the kitchen.
But the beauty of apples is that they come in countless varieties, each offering different flavors, textures and nuances. Some, such as the Fuji, have a great crunch and delicate perfume that make them best for eating raw. Others, like the McIntosh, are a bit too mealy for eating out of hand but cook down into the most luxurious applesauce. Amazingly, many varieties are versatile workhorses that shine in all preparations. Used raw, they add crunch, acidity, sweetness and juiciness to their companions. When cooked, they can retain their crispness and personality, morph into tender caramelized morsels or melt into a thick, luscious puree. Best of all, apples lend themselves equally well to both sweet and savory preparations; they are as comfortable next to pork as they are in a cake or cocktail.
Apple, Sweet Potato & Smoked Trout Hash with Soft-Boiled Eggs
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
This hash pays homage to the traditional Appalachian breakfast of sautéed apples and smoky pork sausage or bacon, a favorite of author Sheri Castle (Vol. 20: Rhubarb), who grew up in the region. In her version, Sheri swaps in smoked trout for the pork and tops the hash with an oozing soft-boiled egg. You can also bake eggs right into the pan: Make four indentations in the top of the finished hash with a spoon and crack an egg into each, then broil the hash until the whites have set.
12 ounces (335 g) slender sweet potatoes (2 to 3), peeled and cut into ?-inch cubes (3 cups/405 g)
2 tablespoons bacon drippings or butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
Kosher salt
2 firm, tart apples, cored and cut into ?-inch cubes
4 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped dill or thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
6 to 8 ounces (170 to 225 g) skinless hot-smoked trout, crumbled
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges, for serving
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the sweet potato cubes and blanch until barely tender, about 4 minutes. Drain well, transfer to a plate and set aside.
Heat the bacon drippings or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the apples and reserved sweet potato. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and beginning to brown in spots, about 12 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.
Place the eggs in single layer in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water boils, remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse the eggs under cold running water until cool enough to handle. Peel the eggs.
Fold the dill, parsley, lemon zest and juice and trout into the sweet potato mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 serving plates. Top each serving with a split egg sprinkled with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Bruised Apple Quick Bread with Brown Butter Frosting
MAKES 1 LOAF
Our food system produces a shameful, environmentally disastrous, mind-blowing amount of waste. About a third of the American retail food supply gets thrown away each year, leaving behind landfills that produce a high percentage of our methane emissions, as well as hundreds of billions of dollars in lost revenue and millions of hungry people.
We've all been guilty of pushing aside imperfect ingredients at the market or discarding them long before they're actually unusable. This recipe is one small way to back off on your food waste, and your rewards will make the effort totally worthwhile. It begins by making a simple applesauce, for which bruised apples are essential. They're usually as sweet and flavorful as apples come, having hung on the tree long enough to become overripe (and, as a result, softer and more prone to blemishes). With this base, the cake-y bread requires less sugar and fat than most; in fact, the apples provide enough moisture to render additional butter extraneous.
4 bruised apples—peeled, cored and cut into quarters
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
? teaspoon ground allspice
1? teaspoons baking powder
? teaspoon kosher salt
? cup (? stick/55 g) unsalted butter, softened
? cup (165 g) tightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
Brown Butter Frosting (recipe at right)
Flaky sea salt, for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350oF (175°C). Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or coat with butter and set aside.
In a food processor, puree the apple quarters and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon until the mixture reaches the consistency of applesauce. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon, allspice, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer), cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed. Remove the bowl from the stand and stir in the apple mixture and vanilla until evenly combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the bread is a rich golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the bread cool for 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely before spreading with the Brown Butter Frosting (you might not need all of the frosting). Sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired. Slice and serve.
Brown Butter Frosting
MAKES ? CUP (120 ML)
? cup (? stick/55 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (125 g) confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons whole milk
In a small skillet, heat the butter over low heat. Cook, stirring often, until the butter is melted and milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn dark amber and smell nutty. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any foam. Set the butter aside and let cool to room temperature.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, sugar and milk until smooth.
Skillet Apple-Oat Cake
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
This recipe is the apple dessert of Alison Roman's dreams—literally. One night, the author of Short Stack Editions Vol. 13: Lemons imagined a cake that looked like a pancake, had the texture of a cannelé and tasted like a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon apples in it. And after a few rounds of trial and error, Alison realized her vision: a cake that cooks like a Dutch baby, has a custardy texture (but with pieces of al dente apples, like a great pie) and tastes as good as the best bowl of oatmeal you've ever had.
? cup (45 g) rolled oats
? cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
? teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
? cup (120 ml) buttermilk, shaken well
? cup (120 ml) whole milk
4 tablespoons (? stick/55 g) unsalted butter
2 large tart baking apples, such as Pink Lady or Granny Smith, cored and cut into ?-inch (12-mm) wedges
? cup (50 g) granulated sugar
? teaspoon ground cinnamon
Honey, for serving
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
In a medium cast-iron skillet, toast the oats over medium heat until they're lightly browned and have a toasty aroma. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the flour, brown sugar and salt and stir to blend. Whisk in the eggs, buttermilk and milk; set aside.
Add the butter to the same skillet and cook until it's foaming and starting to brown, about 2 minutes or so. Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and the liquid in the skillet has reduced (the apples will release lots of juice, but it'll evaporate as they cook), 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the cake batter to the skillet (it will puff and start to set slightly around the edges from the heat of the skillet) and transfer to the oven. Bake the cake until the top is golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the skillet, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven and drizzle honey over the top. Serve warm, preferably with some really good vanilla ice cream. Leftover cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Our Favorite Apples for:
COOKING: Empire, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Macoun, McIntosh, Northern Spy
NOT COOKING (AND JUICING): Braeburn, Orange Pippin, Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, Jonagold
Braised Duck Legs with Apples Three Ways
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
As the name implies, this dish showcases apples in three forms: whole fruit, cider and vinegar. But it also shows us a trio of ways that apples can be used in cooking: as seasoning, sweetener and starch (or thickener).
Cooking duck successfully comes down to dealing with fat. Because ducks carry much more external fat than most poultry, you have to render some of it so it doesn't overwhelm the dish (bonus: you'll have a nice supply of rendered fat for cooking potatoes, vegetables and other stuff). At the same time, duck meat is rich enough to stand up to big flavors and long, slow cooking. We borrowed this method of braising duck uncovered from the English chef Fergus Henderson; the exposure lets the duck skin crisp up above the surface as the meat below slowly braises into submission. (For extra-crispy skin, place the pot under the broiler for a couple of minutes just before serving.)
4 fresh duck legs (3 to 4 pounds/1.4 to 1.8 kg total)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium onions, thinly sliced, divided
2 rosemary sprigs
1 cup (240 ml) apple cider
1 cup (240 ml) apple cider vinegar
2 cups (480 ml) chicken stock
3 large tart apples, such as Granny Smith—peeled, cored and sliced ? inch thick
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Trim the excess fat and skin from the sides of the duck legs, leaving the tops of the legs covered with skin. Score the skin on the legs in a ?-inch crosshatch pattern, cutting through the fat but not into the meat. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Coarsely chop the excess duck fat. Place the fat in a large heavy skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer any solids to paper towels to drain, then season with salt and eat the duck cracklings as a snack or save for garnish.
Carefully strain the rendered fat into a measuring cup and wipe out the skillet. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat into a large heavy pot or enameled cast-iron casserole and heat over medium-high heat. Add 2 of the duck legs, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat (reserve the fat for later) and brown the remaining 2 duck legs, then transfer to the plate.
Add half of the onions to the pot and cook, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the apple cider and vinegar and simmer vigorously, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until syrupy, about 10 minutes. Return the duck legs to the pot, skin-side up, arranging them into as close of a single layer as possible. Pour in enough stock to submerge the legs up to the skin, then bring to a boil. Transfer to the oven and braise, uncovered, until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, in the large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of reserved duck fat over medium-high heat. Add the remaining onion and cook until browned and soft, about 10 minutes. Add the apples and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes.
Transfer the braised duck legs to a platter. Strain the juices into a fat separator and return the juices to the pot, stopping when you reach the fat. Discard the solids. (Alternatively, strain the juices into a measuring cup and spoon off the fat.) Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce until thickened slightly. Add the apple-onion mixture to the juices and heat through. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more vinegar, if needed. Spoon the juices around the duck legs and serve. The cooked duck legs can be refrigerated in the juices overnight. Reheat gently and serve.
Apple Margarita
MAKES 1 DRINK
We bought our first high-powered juicer with apples in mind; the vast majority of store-bought apple juice is nowhere near as aromatic and complex as the fresh stuff. After a few (mostly failed) attempts at making homemade hard cider, we turned to more immediate ways to enjoy fresh apple juice in a boozy environment.
Apple juice is amazingly versatile as a cocktail mixer: It gets along with both clear (gin, vodka) and aged (whiskey, brandy, rum, tequila) spirits; can be used in both shaken and stirred drinks; and works both as a sweetener and an acid. In this extra-refreshing margarita, for instance, it adds sugar to the cocktail and pairs with lime juice to provide another layer of bright, lightly floral flavor. Swap the tequila for gin and top with soda and you've got yourself an apple rickey; replace it with vodka and you have an actually good apple martini, and so on. We think the best varieties for juicing are Fuji and Honeycrisp, but try a bunch of apples to find your favorites.
2 ounces (60 ml) reposado tequila
2 ounces (60 ml) fresh sweet-tart apple juice (or high-quality bottled apple juice)
1 ounce fresh lime juice
Ice
Thinly sliced apple, for garnish
In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, apple juice and lime juice. Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously until the shaker is very cold. Strain the margarita into a glass, garnish with a slice of apple and serve.
Apple, Cabbage & Pork Sausage Hand Pies
MAKES 8 HAND PIES
In many savory apple recipes, the apples are just another form of sweetness. But here, the fruit's texture is its essential contribution: It helps bind the other ingredients into a cohesive filling and adds a bright, tart flavor to that favorite cold-weather trio of apples, cabbage and pork. We've learned from experience that it's worth making extra pies: Bake and serve four pies right away, and freeze four more for later. They can go from the freezer to the oven to happy hands in less than an hour.
1 large leek, roots and dark green leaves discarded
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 semi-tart apples, such as Braeburn or Fuji (about 1 pound/455 g total)—peeled, cored and cut into ?-inch dice (about 4 cups/640 g)
? teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
? pound (225 g) pork sausage, such as sweet Italian
2 cups (140 g) lightly packed finely shredded Savoy cabbage (from a 4-ounce/115-g chunk of cabbage)
? cup (240 ml) crème fra?che or heavy cream
? cup (25 g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Hot sauce
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
1 batch The Best, Flakiest Pastry Dough (this page)
Halve the leek lengthwise, then slice it into ?-inch half-moons. Rinse well in a colander, then drain very well (a salad spinner works great).
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leek, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until very soft and fragrant, about 13 minutes. (If the leeks seem dry, cover the pan to capture steam; add a spoonful of water if you need more moisture.) Scrape the leek into a large bowl.
If the pan looks dry, add another splash of oil, increase the heat to medium-high and add the apples. Season with salt, pepper and the thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are lightly browned on the outside and tender but not yet mushy, about 5 minutes. Add them to the bowl with the leek.
Add the sausage to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spatula so there are no chunks larger than a peanut, until it's no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Add the sausage to the bowl.
Add the cabbage to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and add about ? cup (60 ml) of water. Cover the skillet and cook over medium heat until the cabbage has wilted, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking the cabbage, tossing frequently, until it's very tender and starting to turn golden, about 8 minutes longer. Add the crème fra?che or cream and cook until the cream has reduced to a glossy coating, about 4 minutes. Add the cheese and scrape everything from the skillet into the bowl with the apples. Toss to combine, then season to taste with salt, pepper, hot sauce, and lemon juice until the mixture is highly savory and delicious. Let the filling cool completely, preferably in the refrigerator (you can't assemble the pies if the filling is warm).
To assemble the hand pies: Cut the dough into 8 even pieces. Gently shape each piece into a circle. Flatten the circle by pressing with your fingertips until you have a disk that's about 3 inches across. If the dough is sticking as you're doing this, dust it or your hands with flour.
Lightly flour the work surface and roll the disk into a circle about 7 inches in diameter. Scoop out one-eighth of the filling and pile it onto the lower half of the circle, leaving a 1-inch border.
Brush the border lightly with water. Fold over the top half of the dough circle, tucking it around the filling, and press gently around the edges to seal the two layers of dough. Starting on one end, fold the edge over in small pleats, pressing firmly to seal. Work your way around the edge until the pie is fully sealed. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling. If your kitchen is warm, place the assembled pies in the refrigerator as you work on the rest. Chill for at least 30 minutes. (If you want to make the pies ahead of time, you can chill them well and freeze them for up to 1 month. Bake the frozen pies without thawing them, but lower the oven temperature to 350°F/175°C and bake for closer to 1 hour.)
To bake the pies, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut three ?-inch slits into the top of each pie, arrange the pies on a heavy baking sheet and bake until the pies are light brown all over (be sure to check the underside of the pies), 30 to 40 minutes. Some juices from the filling may bubble through the seams or slits; that's fine. Transfer the pies to a rack to cool slightly before serving warm. The pies can be baked a few hours ahead of time and reheated for 10 minutes or so in a 375°F (190°C) oven.
Apple Cider Molasses
MAKES ABOUT ? CUP (180 ML)
Recipes for apple molasses (aka boiled cider) in America date back to the 17th century. Back then, it was a quotidian sweetener, as was maple syrup, because it could be produced using local ingredients and didn't rely on processed sugar or molasses, which had to be imported. But we don't encounter much apple molasses these days, which is a shame: This stuff, especially when it's made with really good, unpasteurized cider—the kind you buy on that annual fall pilgrimage to the pick-your-own orchard—is apple flavor in a very pure, concentrated form.
Cider molasses can impart the tart fruit's flavor anywhere regular molasses is called for—hell, anywhere sugar is needed. Use it to sweeten an apple pie or crumble. Add a little to your tea. Swap it for simple syrup in cocktails (especially hot toddies); use it in salad dressing to glaze pork or ham. It loves roasted vegetables as well. Drizzle it over pancakes or waffles, blend it with cream cheese and use it to stuff French toast, or mix it into frosting for carrot cake.
The goal here is to slowly cook apple cider down to one-tenth of its volume. If you're starting with a half-gallon (about 2 L) of cider, for example, you'll end up with 6.4 ounces (195 ml) of molasses, which is a little more than ? cup (180 ml). If you like, infuse your syrup with spices (cinnamon, cloves, etc.) while it cooks down. This is very much a by-feel kind of recipe. The timing will change based on the size of the batch you're making, the size of your pot and what "simmer" means to you. You can reduce it a little less and leave it loose, like maple syrup, or go all the way down to dark, intense molasses.
? gallon (2 L) apple cider
Salt
Pour 1 cup (180 ml) of water into a saucepan. Stand a wooden skewer in the pot. Take it out, and mark the line where the water hit on the skewer. Set it aside, pour out the water and dry the pot. Add the cider and a pinch of salt. Bring the cider to a boil, then reduce the heat until it's simmering briskly. Check on it every 10 minutes or so and give it a stir with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon. It will take a while to fully reduce (an hour or longer), depending on the size of your pot. Resist the urge to cook the cider higher than a brisk simmer because it can burn easily, especially toward the end. When it starts to thicken, stay close and keep stirring. When you think it's almost finished, use the skewer to guide you. If the cider starts to thicken to molasses consistency before it hits the level the one-tenth the mark the skewer, feel free to pull it off the heat.
When the molasses is done, pour it into a nonre-active bowl and let it cool, then transfer it to a lidded jar. Use a sterilized jar if you want to store it at room temperature (it will keep for up to 4 months). A nonsterilized jar is fine as long as you refrigerate the molasses (up to 2 months). It will thicken in the fridge, but it's easily thinned by warming it gently.
Salted Apple Jam
MAKES 2 CUPS (480 ML)
This is another great way to use up blemished apples or the spoils from an overly enthusiastic trip to the orchard. It falls somewhere between a jam and a chunky compote. Most apple-based condiments become muddy and brown when you cook them, but this recipe begins with making a caramel, which helps lock in the apples' color and adds extra depth. This technique works great with other light-fleshed fruit as well, such as pears and peaches. In addition to topping morning toast, the jam can be dressed up as a dessert (spread on toasted brioche and top with vanilla ice cream) or used as a cheese-plate accompaniment.
3 pounds (1.4 kg) apples, such as Granny Smith, Cortland, or Gala (use a mix!)—peeled, cored, and cut into ?-inch pieces
1 cup (200 g) sugar, divided
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
2 cinnamon sticks
1 whole star anise
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Coarse sea salt
In a large bowl, combine the apples, ? cup (50 g) of sugar, the vanilla bean and seeds, cinnamon sticks and star anise. Stir until well mixed, then let sit for about 30 minutes; the apples will release some of their juices.
Combine the remaining ? cup (150 g) of sugar and ? cup (60 ml) of water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the mixture is a light-amber color (do not let it get too dark), 5 to 8 minutes. Add the apples to the caramel and stir to coat (the caramel will seize up momentarily—this is okay; it will melt back down).
Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally at first, then more frequently as the mixture cooks down. The apples will break down and turn into a chunky applesauce-like texture; the total cooking time will range from 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the pot and the types of apples you're using.
Stir in the vinegar and a hearty pinch of salt and taste the mixture; it should be pleasantly salty and a little tangy. Adjust with more vinegar and salt as needed. Remove the cinnamon stick, vanilla pod and star anise before transferring the mixture to an airtight container or jar; refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.