Beyond cider: What to do with those apples

As you may have noticed, it's a big year for apples. I wrote a whole feature story about that fact here last week, and spilled a lot of virtual ink about the virtues of apple cider. But what if you have cider and apple juice coming out of your ears and need a few more ways to process this year's apple crop? Hobart publisher Andrew Flach has a solution for you.

Flach runs Hatherleigh Press, a publishing company based in Hobart. (It is a book village, after all.) Hatherleigh puts out a series of cookbooks called "Farmstand Favorites," and one of those cookbooks is devoted entirely to apple recipes. Flach is allowing us to re-post three of those apple recipes here. (For more, you have to buy the book.)

Apple Honey Crisp with Warm Nutmeg Cream
(Courtesy of the National Honey Board)
Ingredients:
Apple honey crisp:
2 pounds apples, quartered and sliced (11⁄2 quarts)
1⁄2 cup plus 1⁄4 cup honey, separated
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup flour
1⁄4 cup butter, softened
Warm nutmeg cream:
1⁄2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:
Apple honey crisp:
Toss apples with 1⁄2 cup honey, cinnamon and nutmeg in bowl. Turn into 2-quart baking dish. For topping, beat flour with butter and 1⁄4 cup honey until crumbly; sprinkle over apples. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden. Serve with warm nutmeg cream.
Warm nutmeg cream:
Combine all ingredients in saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.

Apple Chicken Stir-Fry
Ingredients:
1 pound cubed boneless, skinless, chicken breast
½ cup onion, vertically sliced
1 ¾ cups (3-4 medium) carrots, thinly sliced
1 ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 cup fresh or frozen Chinese pea pods
1 tablespoon water
1 medium baking apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:
Stir-fry cubed chicken breast in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in nonstick skillet until lightly browned and cooked. Remove from skillet. Stir-fry onion, carrots and basil in oil in same skillet until carrots are tender. Stir in pea pods and water; stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in apple. Add to chicken, serve hot over cooked rice.
 
Gingered Sweet Potato-Apple Salad
Ingredients:
15 ounces sweet potatoes or yams, cubed
8 ounces pineapple tidbits, drained
1 apple, cored and diced
½ cup diced celery
½ cup coarsely chopped cashews
¼ cup honey mustard dressing
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
6 cups mixed salad greens

Directions:
Combine sweet potatoes, pineapple, apple, celery and cashews in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine honey mustard salad
dressing and ginger; pour over sweet potato mixture; toss lightly. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve over salad greens.

Have a favorite apple recipe? Send it to us and we'll publish it.

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