I will drive to the Cherry hut near Estes Park for their apple pies even if it is 2 hours out of my way. You get it now, so it is no surprise  then that one of my favorite cookbooks is The Apple Lover’s Cookbook by Amy Traverso. The book is loaded with tips, an encyclopedia of apples and wonderful recipes.

While most of this month includes my personal recipes and what I call “Mom influenced”, the Pumpkin Apple Custard in this bible of apples is a lovely desert served anytime of the year, made special the month of September as cooling skies bring heartier appetites and more room for dessert.

Pumpkin and Apple Custard

The Apple Lover’s Cookbook

3 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
¼ cup apple butter
½ cup evaporated milk
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon allspice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. and set a rack to the middle position. Butter the souffle dish. Fill a kettle with 4 cups water and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using a standing or hand held mixer, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-highspeed for 2 minutes or until thick and pale yellow. Gently fold in the remaining ingredients.

Pour the custard into the prepared dish and set in the baking pan. Transfer both to the oven, then fill the baking pan with enough of the simmering water to come halfway up the sides of the souffle dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake until the center of the custard barely jiggles when shaken, about 30-40 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes, then serve warm or room temperature.

APPLE DUMPLINGS

Chef Judi

For the Apples:

• 8 medium Granny Smith apples peeled and cored
• 8 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 7 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the Sauce:

• 1½ cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup salted butter cubed

Directions

1. Make Your favorite Pastry Dough or use premade Pillsbury crust:
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
3. Assemble the Apples: Roll each portion of dough on a lightly floured work surface into a 7-inch square. Place an apple in the center of each square. Place 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture in the center of each apple.
4. Gently bring up the corners of the pastry to the center of each apple; pinch the edges to seal. Place the pastry-encased apples in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture.
5. Make the Sauce: In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water and butter over medium-high heat until it just begins to boil, stirring occasionally. Pour the sauce evenly over the apples.
6. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the apples are tender and the pastry is golden brown, basting occasionally with the sauce. These are best served warm immediately after baking.

Pecan Dressing Stuffed Apples

Chef Judi Gallagher

If you are entertaining a small group, making the turkey dressing and stuffing them into Cortland apples to roast is a beautiful presentation and extra apple boost of flavor.

This recipe serves 8

8 ounces thick cut applewood smoked bacon
1 stick unsalted Irish butter
3 cups peeled, cored and diced Honeycrisp apples
2 cups diced onions
1 cup diced celery
2 shallots minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 loaf French bread break apart pieces and leave uncovered on sheet pan overnight to stale.
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup fresh minced flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 rosemary sprigs, remove stems and mince rosemary
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 beaten eggs
8 Cortland apples

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with melted butter

Cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to plate with a paper towel to absorb extra fat.

Reserve 2 TBSP. bacon drippings. Add butter to pan. Sautee apples, onions, shallots in butter and bacon fat until softened about 15 minutes

Add wine and reduce liquid.

Combine apple mixture with stale bread pieces, chopped bacon, chicken broth and cider, pecans, beaten eggs, herbs and seasonings.

Set aside to cool for 5 minutes

Cut the tops of Cortland apples and scoop out inside. Fill with dressing and bake covered with aluminum foil for 10 minutes

Remove foil and dot stuffed apples with a drizzle of melted butter. Continue to bake until apples are tender.

Note: make sure you bake at least 25 minutes to ensure the egg mixture is cooked.

Option: bake dressing in large casserole dish

Apple Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Caramel frosting

Chef Judi and Riva Cooper

My Mom used to make the BEST applesauce cake with raisins every Jewish New Year. Since I didn’t like frosting, she would just leave the cake to rest as it was.

My variation is using shredded apples instead of applesauce.

2 cups sugar
½ cup plus 2 TBPS. Irish or French grass-fed butter softened
2 large eggs
2 Teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 Teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon allspice
2 cups chopped pecans plus some for topping over frosting
½ teaspoon salt
2 Pounds Granny Smith of Honey crisp- peeling, cored and shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter and flour a metal 13 x 9 pan by 2 inches.
Beat sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla extract

Mix flour, baking soda and powder and salt and cinnamon and all spice. Slowly add to incorporate. Add 2 pounds shredded peeled apple and stir with spoon

(Optional one cup raisins and one cup shredded coconut

Frosting

1 cup pecans chopped
8-ounce cream cheese (I only use Philly)
Swirls of caramel sauce, IF DESIRED. My fave is “Lick my Spoon” Caramel sauce if you aren’t making homemade
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar extra xxx refined
2 Tablespoons pure unsalted butter
Blend all together and frost over chilled cake

I dream of apples, I really do. I am in search of great apple pie everywhere I travel. I knew from the first bite that the apple pie at Mom’s Apple Pie in Sonoma County, California, would be the best and yes – it is. And now, I have the best apple-anything-book in print, with beautiful photos and recipes that are sure to be treasured and handed down for generations.

Consider this grand book an encyclopedia of all things apple – Delicious, Macintosh and Jonathan Gold. I feel a kinship to the author who grew up very close to my own home town in Connecticut, where apple picking in the autumn was as traditional and anticipated as the first warm apple cobbler that mom made on a Sunday afternoon.

Like the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, I was married near an apple orchard. We decorated guest rooms at The Apple Tree Inn with apple cider candles, apple candies, tiny jars of apple butter and yes, an apple pie waiting in each guest room. While New Englanders long thought they had cornered the market on all things apple orchards because of Thoreau writing about his love of the New England coastal apple orchards, “Every wild apple shrub excites our expectation thus, somewhat as every wild child. It is, perhaps a prince in disguise. What a lesson to man!”

In the early settlements, author Amy Traverso explained that apples were not just a sweet table fruit but also a source for apple cider vinegar; used in preserving. They provided hard cider to drink and from cider came distilled ciderjack which was used as a spirit, a preservative and an anesthetic. It was a big source of commerce and income for early settlers.

Today Washington State is the largest apple producer, while New England boasts some of the most distinct varietals, certainly some of the oldest. Varietals range in the hundreds with new hybrids emerging from even China. But, tell that to an old Bostonian with a record dating back to the 1600s of fine new apple varietals growing in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

According to Traverso’s book, your tools of the trade to be an apple baker are quite simple. You will need: apple corer, peeler, slicer, biscuit cutter, mandolin slicer, melon ball scoop, and a zester.

The recipes in this fairly comprehensive book range from soups and starters to poultry, meat and fish entrees to pancakes, donuts, biscuits and breads and my favorite chapter – pie, crisps, cobblers and betties. Each chapter has engaging stories about local farms from Lebanon, Massachusetts to Ogunquit, Maine. You can almost smell the aroma of the apples simmering in cinnamon and the crust being cut with butter and sugar. This is the apple lovers everything-book and limiting my favorite recipes to three do not even begin to show the depth of a grand apple book such as this. Place it on your kitchen counter or coffee table for display next to a bowl of local and colorful farm-fresh apples and a good apple peeler.

Vermont Apple Cider Donuts

(from The Apple Lover’s Cookbook. Makes about 18)

1 cup granulated sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for work surface

1 ½ teaspoons table salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup low-fat buttermilk

½ cup boiled apple cider

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Canola or safflower oil for frying

Cinnamon-sugar (1 ½ cups sugar mixed with ground cinnamon).

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or standing mixer with the whisk attachment, beat together the sugar, and butter until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside. Pour the buttermilk, boiled cider , and vanilla into the sugar-butter-egg mixture. Mix well, and don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled; it’ll smooth itself out. Add the flour mixture and gently mix just until fully moistened. The mixture may appear a bit lumpy, but the most important thing is not to over mix.

Line the baking sheet with wax paper with wax paper or parchment and dust generously with flour. Turn the dough out onto one baking sheet and gently pat into a ¾ inch thickness. Sprinkle dough with additional flour, cover with plastic wrap and put in freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. Remove the dough from the freezer and use a lightly floured 3-inch donut cutter to cut out about 18 donuts with holes. You can gather the scraps and re-roll as needed, but you may need to chill the dough more to firm it up. Put the cut donuts on the other baking sheet as you go, the transfer to the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up again. Preheat the oven to 200-degrees and set a rack in the middle position. Set a plate lined who paper towels nearby. In a Dutch oven or large pot; heat 3 inches of oil to 370-degrees. Drop 3 to 4 donuts into the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan since this lowers the temperature. Cook until browned on one side, about 1 minute, then flip over and cook until brown on that side, about 1 minute more. Transfer the donuts to the paper-towel lined plate and keep warm in the oven as you cook the rest. Repeat with the remaining dough. When the donuts are cool enough to handle, but still warm, sprinkle all over with the cinnamon-sugar. Serve immediately.

Grandma’s Apple Crisp

(Serves 8)

Suggested apples mix of McIntosh or Jonathan, with farm-sweet ones such as Jazz or Ginger Gold. The tender apples cook down and create a thick sauce, in which the firmer slices are suspended- a mixture of smoothness and texture.

For the filling:

5 large tender-tart apples-about 2 ½ pounds

Cored and cut into ¼ inch thick rings or slices.

5 large firm-sweet apples, peeled. Cored and cut into ¼ inch thick rings or slices

For the topping

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt

2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

8 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack on the middle position. Arrange the sliced apples in an even layer in a baking dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the eggs and using a fork or pastry cutter work in until crumbly. The mixture will look like streusel, with a mix of wet and dry bits. Spread the topping evenly over the apples then drizzle all over with the melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake until the topping is golden brown and apple juices are bubbling. About 45-55 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes and serve warm from the pan.

Sweet Potato and Apple latkes

(Makes 25)

cooking tip: Use Granny Smith or Rhode Island Greening.

Keep the oil at about 370degrees to prevent the latkes from turning greasy.

2 pounds Garnet or Jewel sweet potatoes

3 large firm-tart apples, about 1 ½ pounds, unpeeled, cored and quartered lengthwise

8 medium shallots

6 large beaten eggs

1 cup matzo meal

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

Homemade apple sauce (for the traditional side)

Using the coarse side of a box grater or food processor fitted with a medium grating disk, grate the potatoes, apples and shallots. Toss together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, matzo meal, salt and pepper and toss to mix well.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Pour 1/4 inch of oil into a skillet over medium-high heat. When the temperature reaches 370-degrees, scoop ¼ cup potato mixture from the bowl, then gently drop that mixture out onto a wide spatula. Press into a patty about ¼ inch thick with your hand then gently slide the pancake into the hot oil. Cook three or four pancakes at a time until the edges are crispy and well browned and the undersides are golden brown. About 2 to 3 more minutes. Transfer the pancakes to paper towels to drain the grease then arrange on baking sheet and keep warm in oven until the remaining pancakes are cooked.

(The Apple Lover’s Cookbook by Amy Traverso. $29)

F&M

September is here, and even though we don’t officially transition to autumn until the end of the month, I always think of Labor Day as the official start of fall. I can’t wait to move from light summer food to heartier autumn comfort food — and as I start running through my mental list of recipes I want to try, the stars this year are fruits.

Fall fruits are absolutely wonderful; they comprise a list that includes apples, grapes, pears and cranberries. I mean, who doesn’t love all-American apple pie (make mine with salted caramel, please), a handful of frozen grapes, vanilla-poached pears (served with a side of chocolate sauce, thank-you-very-much) or perfect cranberry sauce, served alongside Thanksgiving turkey.

Here are my tips for how to pick the best-quality fall fruits, as well as a killer recipe for salted caramel apple pie. Enjoy!

Apples: If you live nearby an apple orchard, get yourself to it immediately — there’s nothing more satisfying than picking apples and putting them to use in the kitchen. Look for firm, brightly colored apples that are clean and shiny; they can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Pears: Give your pears a few days to ripen at home after you purchase them (and try to purchase them from your local farmer’s market or farmstand, if possible). When they’re ready to eat, their flesh will give a little when you press them. Keep them in the refrigerator after they’ve ripened for up to 5 days.

Grapes: Ripe, white and green grapes will have a yellowish tone; red and purple should have not a single speck of green on them. Make sure you keep your grapes refrigerated or you’ll end up with raisins, and always wash them thoroughly before eating.

Cranberries: Because cranberries usually come pre-packaged, check the bag to make sure you get bright berries that are not soft or shriveled. Discard any stems before cooking.

What’s your favorite fall fruit? Happy eating!

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Adapted from Four and Twenty Blackbirds

1 recipe for 2-crust butter pie crust

1 cup white sugar

¼ cup water

1 stick unsalted butter

½ cup heavy cream

1 ½ tsp sea salt

4 to 6 lemons

5 to 6 medium to large apples (such as a mix of Crispin, Granny Smith and Cortland)

1/3 cup raw sugar

2 tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 to 3 dashes Angostura bitters

1 egg, beaten

Raw sugar, for sprinkling

1 teaspoon sea salt

Special equipment: Mandolin, for slicing apples

Prepare one 2-crust batch of your favorite all-butter pie crust. Roll the bottom crust, form it to a 9-inch pan and cut the top crust as a lattice. Chill the rolled crust while you prepare the salted caramel and apple filling.

To make salted caramel:

Cook the sugar and water over low heat until just dissolved. Add the butter and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking at a low boil until the mixture turns a deep golden brown color almost copper.

Once the mixture has turned a copper color, remove from heat and add heavy cream — the mixture will bubble and steam. Whisk the final mixture together over low heat and sprinkle in the sea salt. Set aside to prepare apple filling.

To make apple filling:

Juice the lemons into a large mixing bowl. Core, peel and thinly slice the whole apples. Dredge all the apple slices in the freshly squeezed lemon juice to prevent browning. Set prepared apples aside. In a large measuring cup or small mixing bowl, combine sugar flour cinnamon, allspice nutmeg and Angostura bitters. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples in the mixing bowl using your hands to gently mix and coat the apple slices.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Gather rolled pie crust, salted caramel and apple mixture. Begin by layering 1/3 of the apples in the bottom of the crust so there are minimal gaps. Pour 1/3 of the caramel sauce over the apples. Add 1/3 of the apples and caramel for a second layer, and then add a third layer of apples and the caramel again. Save a small amount of caramel to pour on top after the lattice is assembled. Assemble the lattice crust and flute the edges of the crust. Pour the last bit of caramel on top. Brush the crust with the beaten egg and lightly sprinkle with raw sugar and sea salt.

Bake the pie on a baking sheet larger than the pie pan for 20 minutes, otherwise the caramel will bubble over. Reduce to the temperature to 325 and bake for 25-35 minutes. Test the apples with a toothpick or knife; they should be just soft. Let the pie cool, then slice and enjoy.

F&M