The Building Block: Cooked Apples
- Core 4 baking apples (such as Gala or Granny Smith).
- Peel a spiral of skin off the top of each.
- In a heavy medium saucepan, combine a tablespoon of brown sugar for each apple, 1 cup of apple cider, a cinnamon stick, a strip of lemon peel, 2 whole cloves, and a dollop of butter.
- Boil for 1 minute, then add the apples, coating them with the liquid. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, flipping the apples halfway through.
Apples with Ice Cream
• Reheat cooked apples in foil at 350º F for 10 minutes.
• Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of warm maple syrup.
Apple Pancakes
• Mash a cooked apple into pulp.
• Mix it into your favorite pancake batter. (Rule of thumb: Use half an apple for every 2 cups of dry mix.)
• Prepare pancakes according to the package directions.
Brats with Apples
• In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown brats or sausages on all sides.
Remove, reduce heat, and add a little olive oil and a medium red onion, 1/4 of a head of cabbage, and cooked apples (all sliced).
• Sauté until the cabbage wilts, about 3 minutes.
• Add some leftover apple liquid, along with a few tablespoons of cider vinegar.
• Turn the heat up, add the sausage back, and cook through.
For sunday dinner:
Slice and serve. Store leftover apples in their cooking liquid in the fridge.
Next Page: Braised Pork
