Lakes Region Foodie —Apples

Among the most popular fruits, apples have been cultivated for over 2,000 years; the seeds brought here by immigrants and blended with native crab apples, they gave us such a diversity of the fruit such as tender yet tart McIntosh, sweet and firm Red and Golden Delicious, tart Granny Smith, Baldwin, Jonathon, and Macoun.

John Chapman, born in Massachusetts in 1774, was aptly nicknamed Johnny Appleseed, as he gathered apple seeds from cider mills and planted them on his travels. Many different varieties resulted from these random plantings.

The versatile apple can be most delicious eaten raw, in salads, or tarts. It can be baked into delicious cobblers, pies, and crisps. Apples keep well in the refrigerator after being washed and dried. Clean, shiny apples can be refrigerated for up to two weeks before their texture starts to become mealy. Several different types of apples can be used for multiple purposes. For example: Red Delicious, a heart-shaped fruit creamy and sweet with a “sheep’s nose” bottom, these are great on salads and for snacking but not particularly good for cooking. Granny Smith, a sweetly tart apple with a freckled green skin is a favorite of pie bakers. McIntosh is a favorite again for snacking. Is used in sauces, salads, and pies. It is also a staple in cider.

There are so many varieties and most are available year-round.

Apple Crisp

I first came across this recipe when I was living in England years ago. It is from my English cookbook, “Penguin Cookery Book” by Bee Nilson. It is a family favorite.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 lb. cooking apples, such as McIntosh Red, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ cup water

2/3 cup flour

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbs butter

Peel and slice apples finely and put in a baking dish. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and add the water. In a medium bowl mix the flour and sugar and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like fine crumbs.

Sprinkle the top of the fruit with the crumb mixture and bake in a slow/moderate oven until golden brown. Do not set the oven too hot or the juice will bubble up and spoil the top.

This recipe may also be made with rhubarb and other fruits. If the fruit is very sour it should have extra sugar sprinkled on before the crumble. Serves 3-4.