9 Apple Recipes for Autumn
Having covered pumpkin in my last post – telling you all about autumnal French toast, lasagna, and cheesecake –I’m on to the next must-have ingredient in the Fall, or rather, the mighty Apple.
Now! Though the apple may have gotten a bit of a big head by now – after all, its the moniker of the mighty empire built by Steve Jobs, is the fruit that caused the downfall of Adam and Eve, the nickname of the best city in the world and the name chosen for celebrity Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter – I like to keep them grounded by reminding them that they are at their best when used as an ingredient, cooked or baked with when the weather gets chilly in the Autumn.
Whether we’re talking green Granny Smith, yellow Golden Delicious, or red Macintosh, apples are perfect when paired with warming spices like cinnamon and ginger in a sweet recipe or used in a savory recipe to add a note of contrasting sweetness. Here’s a walk down the blog’s memory lane (lined by apple-trees, obviously) with some of my favorite apple recipes over the years.
Best Ever Apple Cake
This cake, fresh out of the oven, is excellent. It’s packed with apples, subtly spiced with cinnamon, and just sweet enough, one of those many-hat-wearing cakes that works for breakfast, tea, or dessert. Fast forward to the next afternoon, however, and you’ll discover that this cake, while great the first day, is simply phenomenal in the days after -- the apples have had time to work their magic, their juices settling fully into the cake, rendering it extra dense and moist, intensely apple-y and almost pudding-like. It turns out that this is the kind of cake you find yourself thinking about long after your first slice, that sneakily whispers your name until you head back to the kitchen for another sliver or two.
Click here to get the recipe!
APPLE CINNAMON MUFFINS
As it so happens, muffins here in Italy tend to almost always be a disappointment. While Italians get an A+ on their cornetti, the muffins sold at the cafes here are usually dry, flavorless, and on the chewy side, just barely reminiscent of how a real muffin should be. I can guarantee however that unlike muffins found in Rome, these muffins will not disappoint you in the least, as they are, as far as muffins go in my book, pretty much perfect. The yogurt and apples keep them moist, they taste even better the next day (once the cinnamon has had a chance to sink in) and the brown sugar on the top gives them a nice crunch that contrasts nicely with the fluffy interior.
Click here to get the recipe!
Apple crisp with pecan-oatmeal topping
I don't think I would be exaggerating here to say that this is perhaps the best Apple Crisp you will ever make or eat. Let me explain: the apples here are left to shine, complimented (not overwhelmed) by just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar, and the topping is reminiscent of an oatmeal cookie -- spicy and buttery almost caramel-y thanks to the brown sugar, with pieces of crunchy pecan throughout. Needless to say, this is all taken to a whole other level of sublime when served warm out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (I've never met a crisp or cobbler not made better by vanilla ice cream).
Click here for the recipe!
Apple caramel spice cake
Ladies and gentlemen, this Apple Spice Cake is One of My Very Favorite Things I Have Ever Baked -- the highest honor! -- and with good reason. Its deeply spicy and superbly moist, infused with apple and cinnamon and ginger and all things Fall, delicious on its own but so spectacular when dressed up with a buttery, salty-sweet caramel glaze which -- if you're not careful! -- might never make it to your cake (my advice: try your best to limit yourself to one spoonful, ok?) This is festive and rich and special and most certainly deserves a place at your Thanksgiving table, or, if you're me: in your office, for your lovely colleagues, some of who will pass once, twice, three times for a slice.
Click here for the recipe!
apple dumplings
This recipe is inspired by the majestic appelbollen I ate in Amsterdam nearly 8 years ago now; the pastry here is beyond flaky, buttery and just sweet enough, the perfect foil to the aromatic cinnamon-y, brown sugar basted apple within. The presentation is lovely, too, a little pastry-wrapped present, perfect topped with a bow of vanilla ice cream (and a ribbon or two of caramel sauce wouldn't hurt here, either, just saying.)
Click here for the recipe!
rainy day apple tart
You could also call this a crostata, or a galette, or an open faced pie of sorts, but however you call it, the idea is this: pie dough rolled out and then folded around a heap of apples -- the less perfect, the better, just chalk it up to a "rustic" appearance -- and then baked directly on a baking sheet, no pie plate or double crust required. It is fairly low-key as far as desserts go, with the most time-consuming part being the peeling/slicing of the apples, which, honestly speaking, is one of those surprisingly repetitive/calming kitchen tasks that are welcome on a lazy afternoon. Once you've sorted your apples, gotten the whole thing in to the oven, and spent the next hour watching Netflix, you'll find you have a sublime dessert on your hands, delicious in all its superbly autumnal splendor, a mound of cinnamon-y, caramelized, sweet-tart apples, all wrapped up in a flaky, buttery, pie crust, sprinkled with a little sugar for shine.
Click here for the recipe!
all-american apple pie
Starting from the inside out of this recipe: this pie crust is melt-in-your-mouth buttery, just the right amount of sweet, and, as all good pie crust should be, incredibly and deliciously flaky. The apples in the filling hold their shape well -- no mushy apples here! -- and are complemented and enhanced, not overwhelmed, by just the right amount of sugar and cozy warming spices, allowing the apple flavor to shine its brightest. A slice of this beauty warm out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream caused my usual favorites Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Pie to shuffle to the right a little as Apple Pie nudges its way in.
Click here for the recipe!
PROSCIUTTO, GREEN APPLE, and BRIE sandwiches
Let me introduce you to this sophisticated Prosciutto, Green Apple, and Brie Sandwich, mighty enough to shake up your lunch hour in the best of ways. With its layers of salty rich prosciutto, creamy brie cheese, crisp tart apple, and tangy mustard, all held together by a crunchy-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside baguette, it is unsurprisingly one of my very favorite lunches. And, sandwich being a sandwich, this is super simple and quick to make -- it's probably the easiest thing I've ever posted -- while still managing to be fancy and elegant, your average ham and cheese sandwich all dressed up and ready to go to the ball (or to the office, or even your next picnic).
Click here for the recipe!
Apple, Sausage, Apricot Stuffing
No Thanksgiving menu is complete without stuffing! For those of you who are unfamiliar, stuffing is a side dish that can be kind of described like a savory bread pudding. There are countless different recipes and variations of stuffing; my favorite version has tart green apple, sweet dried fruit, and salty, savory sausage that make every bite different and packed with contrasting flavors. Please pardon the photo here, which was taken in my early blogging days of 2015.
Click here for the recipe!