Carrot Cider Cake

I really liked my wedding anniversary carrot cake, but also wanted to try this because apple cider in a cake just sounds lovely.

Notes:

• I used the large holes on my box grater to grate the carrots.
  

Verdict: This was delightful, especially with some leftover cream cheese icing spread over the top. The coworkers I shared it with also really liked it. I would absolutely make it again, and maybe add some raisins and pecans or walnuts because I love the kitchen-sink type carrot cake with all the things in it. I still dream about one my mom's friend brought us one time when I was a kid, and want to try to recreate it if I can. This might not be it but it's getting closer.

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RECIPE: Carrot Cake with Cider and Olive Oil (Smitten Kitchen)

Apple and Cheddar Scones

I made these because I wanted to use up some odds and ends in the kitchen and this knocked out the most things at once.

Notes:

• I have used Cortland apples and a mix of Fuji and Gala apples. The Cortland apples tasted better to me but ended up very soft. The Fuji and Gala apples kept their shape a bit better but maybe aren't the best for baking.
• I think the dough turned out a little too soft/sticky for me both times I've made them (the final product has less structure than there looks to be in the original recipe photos) and I'm not sure why. I have tried measuring the flour by weight and volume, and I mixed the dough more thoroughly the second time because there were puddles of melted butter during baking the first time. Maybe I cooked the apples too much? I'll have to keep working at it.
  

Verdict: Definitely keeping this recipe around for later. Even with the dough being a bit too soft the flavor is great, much better than I anticipated. They're a little more fussy than I'd like but not prohibitively so. I missed them after they were gone the first time and made a second batch a month later.

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RECIPE: Apple and Cheddar Scones (Smitten Kitchen)

Plum and Apple Oatmeal Crisp

I had a lot of prune plums but wanted to try something other than stewing them, and landed on this.

Notes:

• I replaced some of the 2 1/2 pounds of plums with Cortland apples.

Verdict: It was pretty good. I wish it had ended up a little less soupy, but I did enjoy how tart and brightly colored the plums made the filling. I don't know that I'd go out of my way to make it again but I did enjoy it.

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RECIPE: Plum Oatmeal Crisp (Martha Stewart)

Dutch Apple Pie

I have been wanting to try my hand at a Dutch apple pie ever since a postdoc at my work (who is originally from the Netherlands) baked a very tasty one and brought it in to share for his birthday, and Thanksgiving at home with my partner seemed as good a time as any to try it out. (It's been really nice to just make whatever new and exciting things I want for holidays at home, instead of what needs to be made to please family members who have very specific tastes in their holiday dinner.) I made it exactly as written.

Verdict: I LOVED it. My partner is not really into pie but tried it because I made it (I will never get over how sweet that is) and he told me he genuinely enjoyed this, and he thinks it's because the crust is sweeter and more like a cookie than a traditional pie crust. It's kind of a lot of work, but not any more than a regular apple pie, and worth it. I would absolutely make this again.

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RECIPE: Dutch Apple Pie (Smitten Kitchen)

Candy Apples

Candy apples were something I never had until I was an adult, but heard about from old cartoons. Caramel covered apples are more common where I live, but no bright red candy apples. Until I made them for myself for Halloween in maybe 2008 or 2010. I really enjoyed them. Fast forward to 2020, where I was looking for ~a e s t h e t i c~ treats to make myself for a Halloween tea party, and decided I wanted to make these again.

Please, please cut them before you try to eat them or you'll have a bad time.

Notes:

• Use smaller apples because they'll be easier to handle and coat.
• I used Honeycrisp apples because I like how they taste fresh. Any apple you like to eat fresh that's more on the sour side will work great.
  
• If you can get freshly picked apples from your local orchard or farm market for this, I highly recommend it. You will definitely be able to taste the difference.
  
• Try not to have too much candy coating pool on the bottom, because it's hard and difficult to bite through.
  
• These are best consumed the day they are made, or possibly the next day. They do not keep well.
  
• To eat them, DO NOT try to eat them by biting into the side of a whole one. Cut them into pieces with a knife first.
  

Verdict: I remember these being way more delicious the first time I made them. Maybe I have grown out of them but honestly, I think I'd rather just have a plain apple. They're pretty and look impressive, and are an iconic traditional Halloween treat, but from now on I think I'll stick to other apple desserts I know I like better. But if you like hard candy and sugary treats, or are just nostalgic for an old fashioned treat, these will do the trick nicely.

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RECIPE: Candy Apples (Just a Taste)

Apple Crisp

What do you make when you want apple pie but don't want the work of an apple pie? Apple crisp! I have used a number of recipes in the past, but keep coming back to this one. It's got oatmeal in the topping and the topping is not too thick.

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RECIPE: Apple Crisp (Simply Recipes)

Apple Cider Caramels

I love me some apple cider in the fall, but the smallest size it comes in is often a half gallon, and because there are only two of us in the house and we have taken to drinking less juice in recent years, sometimes I end up with a large amount of cider that I need to use up before it spoils.

look how shiny it is!

Enter apple cider caramels. I saw these on Smitten Kitchen earlier this year and loved everything about them, and I just so happened to have a bunch of apple cider to use up so I gave them a try!

Notes:

• Definitely make sure to get apple cider (the cloudy kind with sediment on the bottom that must stay cold) and not apple juice. Mine was pasteurized and worked just fine, but I think the fresh-from-the-farm stuff would taste even better. If it has to stay refrigerated, that's a good sign.
• I reduced the apple cider a few days before I actually made the caramels because I started without having all the ingredients to make it (whoops). The reduced apple cider keeps great in the refrigerator. It's thicker when it's cold but it easily loosens once you put it back on the heat.
• My candy thermometer does not have exact temperature markings when it gets to the different ball stages range (weird) so I cooked it to what was marked on my thermometer as "firm ball" stage, which I think is technically just under the 252 degrees F that the recipe tells you to cook it to and it turned out fine. I would probably even make them a tiny bit softer next time.
• My 8x8" pan of caramel ended up about 3/8 in thick, for an idea of how much it makes. I cut them smaller than the 1x1 inch that the recipe suggests. I cut my pan into 6 rows (~1.25 in wide) and cut those into about 1/2 inch pieces (13-15 pieces per row), making about 78-90 pieces total.

Verdict: Way easier to eat than a caramel apple for sure. The cinnamon coated salt bits mixed throughout were better than I imagined they'd be. The cinnamon + salt are the flavors that I associate with the crust of an apple pie. They are apple pie in caramel form. I would definitely make these again.

On a related note, I tasted the reduced apple cider all by itself and it tastes like the best apple candy, sour and very distinctly natural apple. I have heard of people using it instead of maple syrup for pancakes and/or waffles and I am excited by this idea.

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RECIPE: Apple Cider Caramels

Lavender Apple Mint Syrup

When I was in Germany earlier this month, I went to the Frankfurt Kleinmarkthalle, an indoor marketplace selling both freshly prepared food and lots of hard-to-find, high quality cooking ingredients from around the world. I wish I'd gotten there sooner -- I was there right before it closed for the day and had just eaten so basically the worst time I could go. Of note were these really delicious looking deli sandwiches, a couple of stalls selling fancy coffee drinks, a chocolate shop where I bought acorn-shaped Belgian pralines, and a bunch of stalls on the upper floor that resembled an Italian butcher shop and deli. Again, I was kind of sad that I had eaten right before I went there.

One of the things I saw for sale while wandering the aisles was a bottle of lavender apple mint syrup. I didn't buy it because I wasn't sure I'd be allowed to bring it home in my carry-on luggage but the combination of those flavors sounded so good to me that I had to try making it for myself. Never mind that I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I could not find a recipe for it, so the below is based on my experiences developing a recipe for ginger syrup (mainly that an ingredient is going to impart a much stronger flavor if pureed rather than chopped) plus a couple of recipes that already existed for lavender mint syrup (without apple). I am pleased with my first crack at it and think I've got a good start here but I would make a couple of changes next time to make it even better.

Notes:

• I made this with a Honeycrisp apple but I think a sour apple (like Granny Smith) would taste even better.
• I am considering adding more lavender next time, maybe 1 1/2 tbsp instead of 1, because I could taste it but I wanted it to be a little more prominent. A sour apple might bring it out more.
• My syrup turned out a bit darker in color than the one at the Kleinmarkthalle (theirs was the color of apple flesh, a pale yellow, and a little bit cloudy) and I think this is due to the kind of apple used, and maybe because I left the skin on. Lavender can darken the mixture too, in my experience.
• My favorite way to enjoy this syrup so far is to mix it with plain sparkling water or green tea. I had the tea hot, but  think it would be even better iced. I tried it mixed with sparkling water and gin but I didn't like it. I am sure there's a way to make a good cocktail with it and I just haven't discovered it.

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RECIPE:

Lavender Apple Mint Syrup
by The Matcha Chronicles
Makes about 2 cups

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 large tart apple
1 tbsp dried culinary lavender buds
1/4 oz (7 g) fresh mint leaves (no stems)

Core and dice the apple, leaving skin on. Place sugar and water in a small saucepan and set on the stove. Add diced apple to the saucepan. Set heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer contents to a blender. Blend on medium-high speed for about 20 seconds or until apple has broken down significantly. Return syrup mixture to the saucepan. Stir in dried lavender. Clap the mint leaves between your hands, then add to the pan and stir to combine. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain with a tea strainer and let cool. Transfer to a glass jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Home Style Applesauce

Apples are one of my very favorite fruits. Every fall I get so excited that I go straight to the orchard in September once Cortland apples are ready, pick more than I can eat, and then come winter I have these soft apples in my crisper that aren't really good for eating fresh or most baking anymore. But one simple, delicious thing you CAN still make out of them is applesauce. This is something my mom would make intermittently throughout the winter for a snack or dessert, though you could serve it on the side of some kinds of meat dishes (pork is a pretty common choice). It was especially nice when we were craving apple pie but weren't quite up to the work and had apples to use up. This is yet another instance where no store bought version can really compare.

The recipe has 3 ingredients -- most any kind of cooking/baking apple, water, and sugar -- and easily scales to the number of apples you have. Cortland is my favorite variety to use, though I've used Regent, Macoun, Northern Spy, and Macintosh apples in recent memory with good results. I do not recommend Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Gala apples, or any really crisp/firm variety.

Important Note: Please do not use Red Delicious apples for this or anything you actually want to enjoy eating. As far as I'm concerned, Red Delicious apples are not food. They were bred to look good and that's about it. Personal tastes aside, they don't really break down in the way that most other apples would when they cook -- they get mealy and grainy, which is not a pleasant texture for applesauce.

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RECIPE:

Home Style Applesauce
serves 4

6-7 medium-large baking apples
2 tbsp granulated sugar, or to taste
1/3 cup water, possibly more depending on preference
Ground cinnamon (optional), for finishing

Peel, core, and slice your apples into a heavy bottomed pot. Add sugar and water (if you need more than 1/3 cup, make sure it's just enough to boil to get the apples cooking on the bottom). Put on medium-high heat. When it boils and steam starts to come up, turn heat to low and cover the pot. Uncover and stir every few minutes to move the uncooked apples on the top toward the heat and to help break down the ones cooking toward the bottom. If it gets too thick and you're worried about it burning, add a little more water. After it's mostly cooked, taste it for sweetness. Add a little more sugar if you think it's not sweet enough. It is done when all the apples are cooked through (you should be able to cut the bigger pieces with a spoon with almost no effort) and the texture is to your liking. It usually takes about 15-20 minutes for me and I like it mostly broken down with some larger pieces still intact. If you like cinnamon, sprinkle it on the hot applesauce just before you eat it. Get you some Penzey's Vietnamese cinnamon for a real treat.

If you need to store it long term, it can be frozen in a plastic bag for up to a year. Just thaw and serve it hot.

Apple-Almond Cream Cheese Tart

I forget exactly how I found it, but I am never going to forget it. I think I was looking for something other than pie or crisp to make with the apples I had picked one autumn, and decided to give this recipe from Joy of Baking a whirl and threw some almond extract in. It exceeded my expectations in every way. This is one of those things that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is now one of my very favorite things to make with apples and I try to make it every year in the fall.

Notes:

• I have also made this in a regular 9 inch round pan but it is harder to get out and the crust texture is not quite as crisp somehow. It does still taste good though.
• The original recipe has directions for making this with a food processor but I did not have one at the time so I adapted it for making it without one. I imagine a food processor would speed things up a bit.
• Cortland and Regent apples are my favorite apple varieties to bake with, but any firmer baking apple will work nicely.

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RECIPE:

Apple-Almond Cream Cheese Tart
adapted from Joy of Baking
Serves 8-12

Crust: 
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Filling:
8 oz (1 package) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Topping:
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2-3 large apples, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices (about 3 cups)
1/3 cup (35g) sliced almonds
2 tbsp powdered sugar (optional, for serving)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place rack in center of oven. Grease a 9 inch round springform pan, or line the bottom with parchment paper.

Make the crust: Place the flour and sugar in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add butter and almond extract, and then, using a dough blender or a fork, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until dough just begins to come together. (I find that after the butter gets into small enough pieces, you can also use your hands to help the dough come together.) Press the dough into the bottom and about 1 inch up the side of the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and set aside in the refrigerator.

Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer in a bowl with high sides until smooth. Add the sugar to the cream cheese, and beat again until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and almond extracts, and beat until mixture becomes smooth. Take out the crust from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and pour the filling into the crust, using a spoon or spatula to spread it evenly. Cover and return the pan to the refrigerator.

Make the topping: Stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the sliced apples and toss to coat. Remove pan from the fridge, uncover, and arrange or pile the apples evenly over the filling. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the apples.
 
Bake the tart: Place a baking sheet underneath the springform pan or on a lower oven rack to catch any leaks. Place springform pan in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown, apples can be easily pierced with a fork, and filling is set. Take out pan from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature, with a dusting of powdered sugar if desired. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Raw Kale and Apple Salad

This recipe was tried out of a necessity to use up fresh kale from our CSA haul (we get it nearly every week in the summer!) and a desire to not have to cook it to use it up. I recently had a raw kale salad at a work potluck that I liked so I thought I'd try to make a similar one. I liked this one so much that it's turned into a regular summer meal!

Notes/substitutions:

• I don't bother mixing the salad dressing ingredients together first, just pour the oil and lemon juice and salt into my bowl of chopped kale.
• I haven't ever eaten this with dates but I'm sure they're good. I usually use a dried fruit I'm more likely to have on hand (golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries).
• I've used sliced almonds instead of slivered. Walnuts are also good. Toasting them sounds a little tedious but adds a lot of extra flavor.
• Instead of just tossing to coat, I massage the ingredients into the kale for a couple of minutes. I find this softens the leaves and makes them easier to eat.
• I also have used other harder, sharp cheeses in place of Parmesan to good effect. Sartori MontAmore is particularly yummy.
• This salad keeps for several days in the refrigerator and travels well.
• It is gluten free and can be made vegan if you leave out the cheese.

RECIPE: Kale and Apple Salad