Apple season, so you know what that means. (2,241 views)

This was a last minute addition to my party menu and a big hit! I didn't bother with the pan filled with ice.

Caramel Apple Dip Southern Living 9/12
8-oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Fresh apple slices
Stir together first 3 ingredients just until blended. Spoon mixture into a 10-oz. ramekin; level and smooth surface with a spatula. Cover and chill 2 to 8 hours. Preheat broiler with oven rack 5 inches from heat. Sprinkle granulated sugar over mixture in ramekin. Fill an 8-inch cake pan with ice; place ramekin in pan. Broil 3 to 5 minutes or until sugar is melted and caramelized. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve with apple slices.

emptynestmom -- thanks for posting the muffin recipe, apple muffins are one of my favorites.

erin -- that sounds great, thx for posting. I would sit myself right next to that dip.

karen -- how cool to have an apple tree in your yard. That cake sounds great. No surprise, apple cake is one of my favorites.



This apple pie bread sounded good so I thought I would post. One of the ingredients is apple butter, which surprisingly I've never had before. www.laurainthekitchen.com/recipes/apple-pie-bread/

A few more fall favorites!

Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Maple-Sage Butter (CC Oct/Nov 15)
4 tbsp unsalted butter, plus 1 tbsp
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp fresh sage (I used ½ tsp dried thyme for half recipe)
4 (6-8oz) pork chops
2 Granny Smith, Gala, or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, cut into ½ inch wedges
1 red onion, halved and sliced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Combine butter, 1 tbsp syrup, sage, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper. Season chops. Melt 1 tbsp butter in pan and cook until done. Remove. Pour off all but 1 tbsp fat. Add apples, onions, ¼ tsp salt. Cook, covered, until softened. Stir in vinegar and 1 tbsp syrup and cook, uncovered, until it starts to brown. Stir in any accumulated juices from chops. Dollop chops with butter and serve with saute.

Apple Harvest Bake
Cinnamon Butter (recipe follows)
1 c packed brown sugar
3/4 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon (usually add more)
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c peeled and chopped tart apples
3/4 c chopped walnuts
Prepare and chill cinnamon butter. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-inch pie pan. In bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir until well mixed. Add apples and nuts. Stir until well combined. Spoon into pie plate. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until browned and top feels firm. Serve warm with a pat of cinnamon butter melting over top.

Cinnamon Butter: Beat 1/4 c softened butter with mixer for 30 seconds. Add 1 c sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon. 1 tbsp milk, and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat until combined. Chill until firm.

mcgee, it did and I am NOT a fruit with meat person. With the savory and sweet elements combined everything just worked. Hope it is the same for your DH!

I posted an apple sharlotka that I made twice, tweaked differently each time.

These don't have actual apples, but they have the next best thing: apple cider! I made these over the weekend for a Harvest-themed dinner and they got 8 thumbs up.

Apple Cider Doughnut Blondies

Here's my quick snapshot of the plate of them.



They use reduced cider and browned butter. If you are going to make them, boil down your cider ahead of time. It keeps forever in the fridge. Every fall I make boiled cider syrup and store it in the fridge.

I just came across this one from Smitten Kitchen…can’t wait to try it! Sounds very good and yet easy to make…

Apple Sharlotka

Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
Ground cinnamon, to finish
Powdered sugar, also to finish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan. Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four “strips” then sliced them fairly thinly — about 1/4-inch — in the other direction.) Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter so that it covers all exposed apples. (Updated to clarify: Spread the batter and press it down into the apple pile. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples.) Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon.

Serve warm or cooled, dusted with powdered sugar. Alex’s family eats it plain, but imagine it would be delicious with a dollop of barely sweetened whipped or sour cream.

smittenkitchen.com/2012/01/apple-sharlotka/

Jacques Pepin's Apple Tart is a lovely thing. There are so few ingredients and so much pure apple flavor!

Maman's Apple Tart ~

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, plus 2 tablespoons melted
1/3 cup ice water
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
4 large Golden Delicious apples—peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons melted and strained apricot preserves

Step 1
In a food processor, pulse 1 1/2 cups of the flour with the salt. Add the cold butter and process just until the butter is the size of peas, about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and process just until moistened, about 5 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead 2 or 3 times, just until it comes together. Pat the dough into a disk. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 16- to 17-inch round about 1/4 inch thick.

Step 2
Line a large unrimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it onto the prepared baking sheet.

Step 3
In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the sugar with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour and sprinkle over the dough. Arrange the apple slices on top in overlapping concentric circles to within 3 inches of the edge. Fold the dough over the apples in a free-form fashion. Brush the apples with the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. Refrigerate the unbaked tart until slightly chilled, about 10 minutes.

Step 4
Preheat the oven to 400°. Bake the tart in the center of the oven for 1 hour, or until the apples are tender and golden and the crust is deep golden and cooked through. Brush the apples with the melted preserves. Slide the parchment onto a wire rack and let the tart cool slightly before serving.

Sources: http s://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Mamans-Apple-Tart/
and www.foodandwine.com/recipes/rustic-apple-tart

I am putting this on the  menu for this week. I semi-like beets. I like the golden ones roasted. I even grow them.  red beets have been harder for me to like.  I hate the red stain all over, and they taste like sweet dirt to me.  I liked the cooked beets that used to be available from Melissa, but they  had  vinegar added to cut the sweetness.  havent seen them in a long time.  will first try with golden beets. if I don't like it, I can roast the leftover  beets.    I like finding a new way to prep something.  glowing reviews help.     

I love the Apple Sharlottka mentioned earlier.   its not as sweet as most desserts  and has no  fat to it but the eggs,  so I have a small piece every night. Love it!

that might work.. the vinegar in salad dressing seems to neutralize the over sweetness I get from red beets.  I am trying golden beets first, got some yesterday.   I looked again for the Melissa's beets but didnt see them.   we are having some serious weather issues here and stores are  running on empty for fresh things so will look again in a week.