Authors: Olwen Woodier
Apple Cookbook (8 page)
I use low-fat cream cheese, because I find there is little to distinguish its flavor from that of a whole-fat version, but I use a rich, full-bodied Cheddar
.
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brandy or sherry
1 medium tart apple (Granny Smith)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1
. Combine the cream cheese, Cheddar, and brandy in a bowl. Beat until smooth.
2
. Peel, core, and grate the apple; add it to the bowl.
3
. Add the basil, oregano, thyme, and pepper; stir until thoroughly combined.
4
. Spoon the mixture into a crock; cover and chill for approximately 1 hour. Serve on toast points or crackers.
Yield: 2½ cups
LOW-FAT OPTIONS
Just as low-fat cream cheese works well in the Apple Cheese Spread above, it can be substituted in recipes throughout this book. You may also use low-fat mayonnaise, milk, sour cream, and yogurt.
For a reduced-fat option, combine ingredients. For example, beat together half low-fat and half fat-free cream cheese or whole milk and skim milk.
HAVE AN APPLE, CHEESE, AND WINE PARTY
Many a time, the urge to throw a party has been squashed by the thought of all the preparation involved. One of the easiest ways to resolve this is to choose an apple, cheese, and wine theme. Accompany the apples, cheeses, and wines with an assortment of crusty breads, water biscuits, and crackers.
A visit to a local orchard, farmers’ market, or the produce section of a large supermarket will allow you to procure a good selection of fresh, firm apples. Next, choose the cheeses and wines. Identify each apple variety and stack them in baskets next to those cheeses and wines that are considered complementary. Here’s a list of apples, cheeses, and wines that go together well.
Golden Delicious or York. Serve with Edam, mild Cheddar, Camembert, and Brie cheese. Accompany by Medoc and Beaujolais red wines.
Jonathan or Braeburn. Serve with Scottish Dunlop (Cheddar), Gruyère, and Provolone cheese. Accompany by Bardolino and Valpolicella red wines, and Orvieto and Vouvray white wines.
Empire or Gala. Serve with Muenster, Fontina, and Bel Paese cheese. Accompany by Soave white and rosé wines.
Macoun or Honeycrisp. Serve with Caprice des Dieux, Excelsior, and Boursault cheese. Accompany by Moselle, Graves, Pouilly white wines, and Côte de Beaune red wines.
Yogurt with fruit makes a great snack, breakfast, or dessert
.
1 small sweet apple (Macoun, McIntosh, Gala, Honeycrisp)
1 cup yogurt (plain, vanilla, or lemon)
¼ cup granola
2 tablespoons raisins
1
. Core the apple. Grate it into a small bowl.
2
. Add the yogurt, granola, and raisins, and stir together. Chill, if desired.
Yield: 1 or 2 servings
A quick and delicious hors d’oeuvre, these wedges also make a wonderful and ever-so-easy first course. Depending on what follows, count on 2 to 3 wedges per person
.
4 medium apples (Red Delicious, Cortland, Empire, Ida Red)
¼ cup lemon juice
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ pound prosciutto or smoked salmon
1
. Slice each apple into 8 wedges.
2
. Brush each cut surface with lemon juice.
3
. Spread the cream cheese thinly on each cut side.
4
. Wrap a thin slice of prosciutto around each wedge. Serve immediately or refrigerate, and remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving time.
Yield: 32 wedges
APPLE THOUGHTS
“They [apples] must be eaten in the fields, when your system is all aglow with exercise, when the frosty weather nips your fingers, the wind rattles the bare boughs or rustles the few remaining leaves, and the jay is heard screaming around. What is sour in the house a bracing walk makes sweet
.”
— Henry David Thoreau, in his Journal
This makes a great snack or breakfast on a cold day. The grapefruit adds a pleasant tang to the mixture. Serve it by itself or spoon it over French toast, angel food cake, or a bowl of oatmeal or muesli
.
1 large grapefruit, peeled and separated into segments with the skin removed from each segment, or 1 can (10 ounces or thereabouts) grapefruit segments
1 apple (Golden Delicious, Empire, Gala, Jonagold)
1 banana
¼ cup apple juice or cider
2 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon honey
1
. Place the grapefruit segments in a medium-sized saucepan. (If you are using canned grapefruit, save the juice for another purpose.)
2
. Core and chop the apple. Add to the grapefruit.
3
. Peel the banana and cut into ½-inch slices. Mix with the fruit.
4
. Add the apple juice, raisins, and honey to the pan and warm over low heat for about 10 minutes. The mixture should be hot enough to eat without scalding the mouth. Serve in bowls.
Yield: 2 servings
This is my mother’s adaptation of an Indonesian recipe that calls for chicken livers. We prefer the texture and flavor of the sausage, and we love the flavor and crunchy texture the apple gives to this recipe
.
M
ARINADE
½ cup apple juice or cider
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
S
AUSAGE
B
UNDLES
4 sausages, each about 6 inches long
2 medium apples (McIntosh, Golden Delicious)
½ pound bacon
1
. F
OR THE MARINADE
, blend together the apple juice, peanut butter, soy sauce, cinnamon, and ginger until smooth. Pour into a medium-sized bowl.
2
. F
OR THE SAUSAGE BUNDLES
, cut the sausages into 1-inch pieces; add to the marinade, cover, and refrigerate. Marinate for about 4 hours.
3
. Core the apples and cut them into the same number of slices as there are sausage pieces. (The slices should not be too thin, however.)
4
. Drain the sausage pieces, reserving the marinade.
5
. Cut the bacon strips in half crosswise. Make bundles by wrapping a strip of bacon around a slice of apple and a piece of sausage, secure with wooden toothpicks. Drop each bundle into the bowl to coat with the marinade.
6
. Place the bacon bundles on a broiler rack and broil 4 inches from the heat. Broil them approximately 3 minutes per side, watching them carefully and turning them until the bacon is uniformly cooked and crispy.
Yield: Approximately 24 pieces (about 6 servings)
T
HE CRISP, CRUNCHY, TART, SWEET FLESH OF APPLES
can be diced, sliced, or grated and added to just about any salad you may think of making. The understated flavor of apples lends itself to sweet and sour, creamy, garlic, herbed, and spiced dressings. So when you’re short on lettuce, carrots, beets, celery, or any other salad ingredient, slice an apple into your bowl. Apples go into many savory side dishes; try mashed baked apples with creamed potatoes, turnips, carrots, and parsnips.
