The Apples of my Eye

     In lieu of going to the UM vs BGSU game, Cory, my sister, Melissa, and I decided to go to a cider mill to get some hot cider, donuts and of course, apples. We went to the Alber Orchard in Manchester, MI, which has an orchard and a cider press that has been in service for over 100 years. The cider and donuts were very tasty, and they have a large variety of apples, including some heirloom types that are not commercially available. They have great names, like Roxbury Russet, Wolf River and Nonesuch, and I imagine they're delicious, although I didn't try any of them. I came home with a huge bag of Cortland apples, which are my favorite baking apples. 

Cory, Melissa and I at Alber apple orchard in Manchester

     This apple crisp recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe. I didn't make many changes, just added more cinnamon and didn't bother measuring out the exact amount of lemon. It's really quick and easy to throw together and it made my apartment smell amazing (about 20 minutes for prep, 1 hour to bake). Crisps like this are delicious, and also a little bit healthier than some desserts because they have oatmeal and fruit in them. Don't fool yourself, though, they're still made with sugar and butter and aren't exactly a health food. If you want a healthier version, try using whole wheat flour in the topping and a sugar substitute in the fruit mixture. As usual, I don't recommend replacing the butter- you can always taste the difference. This crisp is best served warm, by itself or with ice cream. It also tastes great cold with vanilla yogurt as a parfait.

Apple Crisp 

Topping:

-3/4 c all-purpose flour

-1/4 c packed light-brown sugar

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 c plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

-8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes

-1 c old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

Filling:

-3 lbs apples (about 7),  peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

-Juice of 1 lemon
-2 tsp ground cinnamon

-To make topping, mix brown sugar, 2 Tb sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
-Add butter, using a pastry cutter or forks to mix and chop butter.
-Add the oats and use your hand to mix until the topping forms small clumps. Cover and place the mixture in the freezer while you prepare the apple filling.
-Preheat the oven to 375 F.
-Peel, core and cut the apples into bite-size pieces. Pour them into a bowl and add lemon, the remaining 1/2 of sugar and cinnamon. Mix well and pour into a 9x13 baking pan (or another dish of your choice).
-Sprinkle the topping over the apples and bake for 50-60 minutes. The top with be golden brown and the fruit juices will be bubbling. Allow to cool for 10 minutes prior to serving, although it smells delicious, it will be very hot!

Melissa going a little Twilight on the apple tree.

Starting with basics- Double Crust Apple Pie

There's nothing more comforting (and midwestern) than apple pie- and it's one of my favorites, with spicy cinnamon, crisp, buttery crust and tart apples. In the fall, when a variety of apples are available, I like to use Cortland apples. They are tart, crisp, hold their shape well with baking and are also large, which minimizes peeling. However, granny smith is a commonly used apple which is available and relatively inexpensive year-round. Most apple pies have some lemon juice, but this also has lemon zest which adds a little extra "kick". Believe me, it tastes as good as it looks!

Double Crust Apple Pie (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Crust:

-2 1/2 c flour                               

-1 c unsalted butter
-1 tsp salt   

-1 Tb sugar                                

-1/4 to 1/2 c ice water

-Plastic wrap

Filling:

-2 Tb flour                                 

-Cored, peeled sliced apples (~4 medium sized apples)

-1/2 tsp nutmeg

-Pinch of cloves 

-1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
-3/4 c sugar                                

-Zest and juice of 1 lemon          

-2 Tb butter
-1 large egg, beaten

-Make the crust by mixing flour, salt, sugar and butter with food processor or pastry cutter to make coarse crumbs
-Add ice water slowly, while mixing, until dough forms
-Divide dough in half, form into 2 disks and wrap in plastic wrap
-Chill for at least 1 hour, roll out to fit pan ~10 inch diameter for an 8 inch pan, and chill for 30 min before baking.

-For the filling, mix apples, sugar, lemon, flour and spices.
-Press crust into pie pan, fill with apple mixture. Dot with butter.
-Put second crust on top, trim if necessary, and crimp edges. Then, cut vents in the top crust, brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar (coarse sanding sugar is prettier, but regular granulated sugar is fine)

-Bake for 1 hour at 375 F. The top crust should be nicely browned and pie juices bubbling through the vents. If you don't see this, you may need to bake a couple more minutes.