“People really enjoy hard, sweet apples,” she says, adding that her customers seem to be eating a lot more apples than baking with them.
Apple Doughnuts
Makes 20 doughnuts.
The perfect fall flavor marries apples with cinnamon, personified in these easy fried doughnuts. Be sure to check, and recheck, the temperature of the oil; any higher than 375 degrees and the dough will burn before it cooks through. And don’t be afraid to have a heavy hand with the sugar topping. It’ll help sweeten your coffee when dunking. From “The Apple Cookbook: 125 Freshly Picked Recipes” by Olwen Woodier (Storey, 2015, $14.95)
2½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon, plus 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, divided
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
¼ cup apple juice or cider
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
1 cup powdered sugar
In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Make a well in the center.
In small bowl, cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg. Add juice, milk and vanilla; beat until combined. Pour into well of dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Stir apple into the batter. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.
Place dough on floured board, knead lightly and roll out to 3/8-inch thick. Cut with a floured 2½-inch doughnut cutter. Reroll scraps and cut a few more.
Pour at least 2 inches of oil into a large wok and heat to 375 degrees. Without crowding, fry doughnuts for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Repeat, reheating oil to temperature as necessary. Drain on paper towels.
If desired, sift 1 cup of powdered sugar with remaining tablespoon ground cinnamon and sprinkle over warm doughnuts.
Pumpkin and Apple Soup
Serves 6.
Granny Smith apples and candied nuts add a touch of sweetness to this velvety pumpkin soup.
3 pounds sugar pumpkins, seeded and halved
Oil for greasing pumpkin
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small white onion, chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon firmly packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup unfiltered apple cider
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Candied walnuts, for garnish (I used pecans)
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and finely diced, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil the inside of the pumpkin halves, and season with salt. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin meat is fork-tender. Remove from the oven. When it’s cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop out the roasted pumpkin. Set aside.
In a large pot, melt butter over moderate heat. Once butter begins to brown, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add apple, garlic, brown sugar, cinnamon, white pepper, nutmeg and cayenne, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the roasted pumpkin, broth and cider, stirring to incorporate, then season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and let cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth. If needed, add additional water or broth to reach the desired consistency. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Serve warm, and garnish with freshly diced apple and candied walnuts.
Spaghetti in Tomato-Apple Sauce
Serves 6.
Pairing apples with tomatoes might sound weird, but when restaurateur Lidia Bastianich assures you something is good, you tend to believe her. Somehow this pasta sauce works. Even better, it’s so easy, featuring standard pantry ingredients and minimal cooking. This is a tart-sweet sauce, so don’t skimp on the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Its saltiness balances out the pucker. From “Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy” by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali (Knopf, $35).
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces aged cheddar, crumbled (about 1 cup)
¾ cup fried or toasted
pecans
1 green apple, cored, quartered and shaved on a mandoline
1 red apple, cored,
quartered and shaved on a mandoline
Wash greens and spin dry. Put greens in a large bowl and scatter the shallot and herbs over them. Drizzle oil and vinegar over salad, and season with salt and pepper. Add cheddar and pecans, and toss.
Divide salad among 4 plates and arrange apples over the salad, covering it. Drizzle a little oil and vinegar over the apples, and season with salt and pepper.