Sure, apples are good for you, filled with fiber, they have no fat or cholesterol, they give you 14% of your daily vitamin C needs and for 100 calories, that’s a pretty good deal; no sodium either, but then neither do they contain any protean. Oh well, you can’t have everything.
There are many delectable things that the world of fresh fruit offers up, but, when push comes to shove, a fresh, sweet, juicy, crisp apple that goes snap when you bite into it is a true joy that is damn hard to beat.
Can you cook with apples? You betchum! And I’m not just talking about apple pie, although there is little that can beat a good apple pie. Apples are well adapted to cooking beyond desserts. The cuisine of Normandy features many specialties that utilize apples. Pork, slow cooked in cider with apples and onions is a favorite. After the roast comes out of the oven, the pan juices are then reduced and finished with heavy cream for the sauce.
In Germany they make potato cakes that are a combination of potato and apple and in Denmark they make an apple stuffing when they roast goose. How can anyone who ever read the “Little House,” books forget Almanzo’s love of his mother’s fried apples ‘n’ onions. I made them a lot as an accompaniment to pork when my kids were at home.
And we can’t forget Calvados, that delectable brandy from Normandy made from apples. Calvados can be a tad on the pricy side, however for those who like to play in the kitchen, you can achieve a relatively decent facsimile. You will need an inexpensive brandy, apples and sugar. Slice and core, don’t bother to peel, apples and fill a Mason jar with them. Add just a bit of sugar and then fill the jar with brandy. Screw down the lid and set in your pantry or other dark, even temperature location and leave it for a month or two. The result isn’t quite the same as a real Calvados, but it is delightful non the less.
And, here are a few more apple recipes to round out your repertoire.
