Applesauce
Applesauce will vary in texture and flavor depending on the
variety of apple used. All-purpose apples such as Granny Smith,
Rome Beauty, Fuji and Jonagold (as well as many others) produce
good results.
8 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices
1/2 cup water
2 lemon slices
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine apples, water and lemon slices in a large saucepan.
Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes or until apples are part
sauce and with some chunks of apple left. Watch closely and
stir often to prevent burning. Applesauce should be thick;
add more water if necessary. Leave sauce chunky or put apples
and lemons through a food mill or coarse sieve. Stir in sugar
to desired sweetness. Add cinnamon and nutmeg. Serve warm
or chilled. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to one
week. Yield 5 to 6 cups.
To make unsweetened applesauce: omit added sugar and select
a naturally sweet variety such as Golden Delicious, Red Delicious
or Gala.
To Freeze: Increase spices to twice the indicated amount,
as they lose flavor during freezing. Refrigerate until chilled.
Pack cool applesauce into rigid freezer containers to within
1/2-inch from the top and seal. Use a container size suitable
for your family's needs. To use: thaw in the refrigerator
overnight or in cold water for 3 hours. Can be frozen for
up to one year at 0°F.
To Can: Pack hot applesauce into clean standard canning jars,
leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal with 2 piece canning lid
and screw band. Process jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water
bath. Remove jars, cool, check seals, label and date. Store
sealed jars away from sunlight in a cool, dry place for up
to one year.
Spiced Apple
Cider
Always read the label and make sure you are purchasing pasteurized
apple cider. Raw, unpasteurized cider may contain harmful
bacteria.
1 gallon naturally sweet apple cider
1 cup brown sugar
4 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
1 Tablespoon whole allspice
1/2 teaspoon mace (optional)
Tie cinnamon, cloves, allspice and mace together in cheesecloth
or use a coffee filter tied with string. Combine cider and
brown sugar in a large pot. Add spices. Bring mixture to a
slow boil. Then turn heat down and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove spice bag from pot. Serve hot cider in mugs. Spiced
Apple Cider may be kept warm in a crock-pot (slow cooker)
on low setting. Yield 18 servings.
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The Frosty
Apple
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 quart naturally sweet apple cider
4-6 scoops vanilla ice cream (optional)
Freshly ground nutmeg
Let a pint of vanilla ice cream soften at room temperature
or microwave for 20 seconds. Put ice cream and cider into
a blender or food processor and blend until frothy and well
mixed. Stir in nutmeg. Pour into tall glasses and top with
a scoop of ice cream, if desired. Sprinkle nutmeg on top.
Yield 6 one-cup servings.
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Apple
Cider Baked Beans
Slow cooked in a flavorful sauce, the wonderful aroma of these
simmering beans will warm hour heart and your kitchen. Beans
are winter comfort food. They are naturally low in fat and
high in vegetable protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Remember
that one cup dried beans will yield slightly more than 2 cups
cooked.
2 cups dried white navy beans, picked over, washed and soaked
(May substitute canned beans by using three 15 ounce cans
of navy beans or great northern beans. Drain and rinse. Proceed
with recipe.)
1 small onion, diced
4 tablespoons molasses
8 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 tespoons salt
2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 small bay leaf
1 teaspoons cider vinegar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/3 cups apple cider, boiling
Boiling water
To prepare beans:
Pour beans onto a flat surface (countertop) in a single layer.
Pick out rocks, dirt balls, off colored and broken beans.
Discard. Wash beams in two changes of cold water. Cover with
3 inches of water and allow beans to soak overnight or 8 to
10 hours. (Quick soak method: Cover cleaned beans with 3 inches
cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for
10 minutes, turn heat off and let stand for 2 hours or more.
Proceed as directed below.)
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Drain beans, reserving liquid.
Bring liquid to a boil. Pour beans into a deep ovenproof casserole
or bean pot. Add all the ingredients, stir and add enough
reserved boiling to cover beans. Cover the casserole with
foil or the lid. Bake 6 hours, adding a little more water
if necessary afte 3 hours of baking. Yield 6 servings.
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Apple
Pancakes with Spicy Yogurt and Cider Syrup
Cider syrup is simply an apple cider reduction. The apple
cider is cooked down to a thick amber syrup, which concentrated
the natural sugar and rich apple flavor. Because this recipe
starts with a pancake mix, it is quick and easy. Purchase
a whole-wheat mix that requires adding eggs and milk, not
the complete just-add-water type. Use homemade applesauce
or the chuncky commercial style. Great for a weekend brunch!
6 cups apple cider
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons chuncky applesauce
2 cup wholewheat pancake mix
2 cup skim milk
2 egg, slightly beaten (or 1 whole egg plus one egg white)
6 tablespoons chuncky applesauce
Canola oil
Extra cinnamon for Garnish
Start by making the syrup; pour the cider in a pot that is
large enough to be no more than half filled. Place the pan
over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium,
very slow boil, and cook for about 30 minutes. Cook until
the cider is reduced to one cup. Set aside. (Syrup can be
made in advance. Keeps for about one week in the refrigerator.
Warm or bring to room temperature before serving.) Next, in
a small bowl, combine yogurt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 6 tablespoons
applesauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve. In a large bowl,
combine milk, eggs, and 6 tablespoons applesauce. Stir in
pancake mix. Mix well enough to moisten, do not over mix.
If the batter is too thick add a little water. Heat a large
non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. When skillet
is hot, lightly grease. Add batter, making medium pancakes,
about 1/2 cup batter per pancake. Cook until tiny bubbles
form on top, peek under the edge, turn when panckae is golden
brown and continue to cook. Place on a platter and keep pancakes
and 4 serving plates warm in a heated oven. To serve; fan
(slightly overlap) 5 pancakes on a warm plate. Drizzle Cider
Syrup over the pancakes (about 1/2 cup) and top with a dollop
of spiced Yogurt, garnish with an additional sprinkle of cinnamon.
Yield 4 servings.
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Apple and
Pumpkin Tart
Although pumpkin pie is traditional, you may want to start
your own tradition with the simple but elegant dessert. Serve
it chilled or warm with a dollop of whipped cream. It's sinful,
and so delicious! Canned pumpkin will work for this recipe,
but you may want to cook your own, see Pumpkins and More for
making a pumpkin puree.
1 8-inch frozen pie crust, thawed (Instead of using a frozen
commercial piecrust, you can make your own tart shell and
chill before adding the filling.)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
3 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced
Page 3, Apples and More Recipes
(Granny Smith, Jonthan, Cortland or your favorite variety)
1/2 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs plus 2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1/2 cup currants
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
Thaw crust and press into an 8-inch fluted tart pan. Use a
rolling pin to roll over the edges, making crust even with
top of tart pan. Place in the freezer while assembling tart
filling. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine
all the tart ingredients and mix well. Scrape the filling
into the prepared tart shell. Smooth evenly around the pan.
Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce the heat to 350
degrees and continue to bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cool
before serving. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
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Apple
Chicken Salad
1/2 cup fat-free yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup apple jelly, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups cooked chicken, diced
2 cups finely sliced celery
3 apples, unpeeled and diced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
In a large bowl, mix yogurt, orange juice, melted apple jelly
and lemon juice. Add chicken.
Celery and apples. Toss gently to coat all pieces. Season
with salt and chill until ready to serve. Sprinkle with pecans
and serve on a bed of romaine lettuce. Yield 8 3/4 cup servings.
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Apple
Cranberry Crisp
Use firm cooking apples for making apple crisp—Rome Beauty,
Baldwin, Jonathan, Braeburn, or Jonagold. These apples will
hold their shape during baking so you do not end up with something
that looks like applesauce or puree.
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup each, granulated sugar and brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) chilled butter or margarine cut into small
pieces
7 cups peeled diced apples (about 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons apple juice or cider
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat eight-inch baking
dish with cooking spray or oil and set aside. In a bowl, combine
flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and
nutmeg until well blended. Cut in chilled butter using a pastry
blender or clean fingers until the mixture is crumbly. In
another bowl, combine apples, apple juice and cranberries.
Spoon the apple mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle with crumb
mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover
and bake an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve
warm topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Yield 9 servings.
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Apple
Cheese Topping
Use this spread on bagels, toast, crackers or apple slices.
8 ounce package of cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 medium-size peeled cored Granny Smith apple
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme, basil or oregano
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese
and lemon juice. Grate apple directly into cheese mixture.
Sprinkle with black pepper and dried herb. Cover bowl and
chill approximately 1 hour.
Yield 2 1/2 cups. Serving size 2 tablespoons.
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Red Cinnamon
Apple Rings
Serve chilled as a side dish or in salads or use hot as garnish
around roast turkey, ham or pork roast. These delicious apples
will keep in the refrigerator for up to tw weeks.
5 medium or large cooking apples
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
2 to 3 sticks cinnamon, about 2 1/2 inches long
Wash, and peel apples. Use an apple corer to remove cores
or remove seeds and cores after cutting into rings. Cut each
apple into 1/2-inch thick rings. Combine sugar, water, food
coloring and cinnamon sticks in a large skillet. Stir over
moderately low heat until sugar is dissolved. Cook 10 minutes
over medium heat. Arrange apple rings in syrup. Cook, basting
frequently with syrup in skillet, until apples are tender,
about 6 to 10 minutes. Remove apples from syrup and use as
garnish or serve in syrup as a side dish. Makes 15 apple rings.
Serving size two-apple ring.
Recipes prepared by Drusilla
Banks, Extension Educator, Nutrition & Wellness
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/apples/
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