Apple Cookbook (7 page)

“A
N APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY
.”
So the old saying goes. If that’s the case, you can feel healthy and food-smart whenever you snack on an apple or pour yourself a drink of cider or apple juice. If you are looking for something a little more elaborate, think of apple tea, punch, or wassail for a special drink. Substitute apple slices for crackers, bread, or chips. No matter how you serve them, apples are tasty and refreshing.

I love green teas, particularly those flavored with honey, lemon, or mint. I choose basic, nonflavored green tea, however, when making iced tea because I’m going to add my own flavorings of honey, lemon, and mint. Adding the apple juice turns it into a drink that is reminiscent of the apple teas, both hot and cold, served in Turkey
.

4 tea bags (green, orange pekoe, or herbal)

4 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon honey (optional)

2 cups chilled apple juice or cider

4 lemon slices

4 mint sprigs

1
. Place the tea bags in a pitcher and cover with the boiling water.

2
. Allow to steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze the tea bags gently and discard.

3
. Stir in the honey, if desired, until dissolved.

4
. Stir in the apple juice. Chill (or add a couple of ice cubes to each glass).

5
. Pour into four tall glasses and drop a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint into each.

Yield: 4 servings

Make this with nonfrozen yogurt and you’ll have a delicious and healthful instant breakfast. I sometimes replace one of the bananas with ½ cup applesauce
.

1 quart cold apple juice or cider

1 pint (2 cups) vanilla ice cream

3 ripe bananas

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1
. In a blender, combine all ingredients, and blend until smooth.

2
. Chill until serving time or use immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

When you want a really refreshing smoothie on a hot summer’s day, pop the applesauce in the freezer for 15–30 minutes before blending all the ingredients
.

2 cups applesauce

1 cup apple juice or cider

1 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons honey

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1
. Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.

2
. Serve immediately, or keep chilled until serving time. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

Yield: 2 servings

Can’t be bothered to peel an apple or squeeze an orange? Then replace those ingredients with ½ cup applesauce and ½ cup orange juice
.

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

1 cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

1 orange

1 cup whole strawberries or melon balls

1 cup seedless grapes

1 large apple (Red Delicious, McIntosh)

1 lime

1 quart chilled apple juice or cider

1 bottle (7 ounces) club soda, chilled

1
. Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.

2
. Add the cinnamon and cloves.

3
. Using a small sharp knife, remove the orange zest — the thin outer orange peel — and add it to the syrup. Remove the syrup from the heat.

4
. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into the syrup.

5
. Hull the strawberries, and slice them in half. Place them in a punch bowl.

6
. Halve the grapes, and add them to the bowl.

7
. Core and thinly slice the apple, and add it to the bowl.

8
. Thinly slice the lime, and add it to the bowl.

9
. Strain the syrup over the fruit.

10
. Pour the apple juice and club soda over the fruit; stir and serve in glasses.

Yield: 4–6 servings

To avoid the possible problem of salmonella, it’s wise to avoid using raw eggs. The easiest way to do this is to use a pasteurized egg product
.

½ cup pasteurized egg product (equivalent to 4 whole eggs)

½ cup sugar

1 cup brandy

1/3 cup rum

2 cups apple juice or cider

3 cups heavy cream

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1
. Place the egg product in a large punch bowl and beat until frothy.

2
. Add the sugar and beat until combined and frothy.

3
. Beat in the brandy and rum, a little at a time, then the apple juice.

4
. Continue beating and add 1 cup of the cream. Beat several minutes until the mixture thickens somewhat.

5
. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream until almost stiff. Stir into the brandy and cream mixture.

6
. Sprinkle the nutmeg over the top. Serve at once.

Yield: Approximately 18 servings

An old Twelfth Night tradition, this medieval drink of wassail (from the Anglo-Saxon
Wes hal,
or “Be in good health,” a salutation offered when presenting a cup of wine to a guest) or “lamb’s wool,” as it is also known, is still served in some English homes around Christmas. Some serve it with a spoon for eating the baked apple that flavors the beverage
.

4 large apples (McIntosh)

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ cup apple juice or cider

3 bottles (12 ounces each) ale

1 cup sherry

1 cinnamon stick

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg zest of 1 lemon

1
. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2
. Slit the skins of the apples horizontally about halfway down. Place in a greased baking dish and sprinkle with ¼ cup of the brown sugar and the apple juice. Bake, basting frequently for about 40 minutes, until apples are soft; remove from oven.

3
. Pour the ale and sherry into a saucepan; add the 2 tablespoons brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and lemon zest; simmer for 5 minutes. Add the baked apples, stir thoroughly, and serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

Pineapples have long been a symbol of hospitality, and they blend beautifully with apples in this refreshing punch
.

1 small pineapple or 2 cans (8 ounces each) unsweetened pineapple chunks or rings

2 apples (Red Delicious)

3 cups sparkling cider or sparkling white wine

2 cups apple juice

1 cup pineapple juice

½ cup brandy, applejack, or vodka

1
. Cut the pineapple into ½-inch rings. Core, slice off the brown peel, and remove the eyes. Roughly chop the fruit and place it in a large pan. If you are using canned pineapple, drain the juice, reserving 1 cup for step 2.

2
. Core the apples and cut them into ¼-inch slices. Add them to the pan along with the sparkling cider, apple juice, and pineapple juice.

3
. Heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until steaming.

4
. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the liquor.

5
. Cool the mixture slightly, and pour it into a punch bowl or pitcher. Serve warm or cold, with or without the fruit.

Yield: 10 servings