Juicy and sweet, the first apples of fall

I have officially come down with “Seasonal Madness“.  It isn’t enough to scent the home with maple and cinnamon aromas, or place a few autumn accents here and there, I have the urge to can, cook and bake every apple, berry and pumpkin recipe known to man, all at one time.  There will not be enough meals in a day to serve all I am inspired to create.

Today my focus is apples.  Apples in sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar, tossed with oats, coated in caramel, it doesn’t matter.  As long as I can smell them cooking, I am satisfied.   To save my family from eating 24 hours a day, I have decided to post a few of the apple dessert recipes here.  Each dessert has a link to the recipe, please take a few moments to poke around each site and find other delicious cuisine.

Country Living Magazine is one of my faves, yes I say this about this publication / site in nearly every post and I say this, because it is true.  I subscribe in print and visit their online site quite often, especially this time of year, as they are filled with Fall recipes and great Autumn decor ideas.  So, today is an ode to Country Living.

There are so many tasty variations of the apple pie, however it was the Salted Pecan Crumble that caught my attention for this recipe.  Follow the link provided for the entire recipe, but I couldn’t stop myself from posting the ingredients and directions for the Salted Pecan Crumble, as it can be used as a topping in other recipes as well.  Oh, and did I mention it is sinfully delicious?

Apple Pie with Salted Pecan Crumble ~ click to visit site and for recipe

Salted Pecan Crumble

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup pecan pieces
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

In a food processor, combine flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup pecans; process until pecans are ground. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Transfer crumble to a medium bowl; add remaining 1/3 cup pecans and, using your hands, crumble and squeeze mixture to form larger clumps. Refrigerate until ready to use.

This next tasty temptation is fantastic on ice cream, short-cake, pound cake or perhaps top your yogurt or stir up into your oatmeal for breakfast.  Warm or chilled, it’s a glorious creation.  Click here for link

Apple-Fig Compote

• 1 lemon
• 2 pounds ( 4 to 6 medium ) Rome Beauty or Jonagold apples (peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges)
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 1 package (8 ounce) dried Calimyrna figs (each cut into quarters)
• 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
• 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 stick cinnamon

Directions

1. Remove the peel from the lemon with vegetable peeler in 1-inch wide strips, then squeeze 2 tablespoons juice.
2. In 4-quart saucepan, combine lemon peel and juice, apples, cider, figs, cherries, sugar and cinnamon; cover and heat to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, covered 20 minutes or until apples are tender, stir occasionally.
3. Pour fruit mixture into bowl; serve warm or cover and refrigerate to serve within 4 days.

   

I simply can’t do a post here on the blog about Autumn recipes and apples without including one for the most tempting treats of fall, the Caramel Apple.  To be completely honest, this will not be the last of these that I post this season.  I have seen that the markets are filling up with the caramel apple kits, but I do encourage you to make your own, the taste is out of this world.

Caramel Apples

• 12 crisp apples
• 1 1/3 cups dark corn syrup
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups light brown sugar
• 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Line a baking pan with a generously oiled sheet of parchment paper.  Push a candy apple stick ( or a small branch ) into the core of each apple.
2. Combine the syrup, sugars, heavy cream, and salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Simmer until the mixture reaches 270 degrees F, about 15 mins.  Remove from heat, stir in the butter and vanilla.  Let cool for 6 – 8 minutes until caramel thickens to a toffee-like consistency.
3. Dip and gently swirl the apples into the caramel and place on the prepared baking sheet, cool completely.

Click here to visit the site and more recipes from CountryLiving.com