fresh local apples from the farmers market

i am overrun with gorgeous local apples. must be a bumper crop as they are cheap and plentiful this year at the farmer's market. what should i make? maybe apple yogurt cake? or pancakes with sauteed apples and cider syrup? trusty oaty apple crisp? rustic apple tart? decisions, decisions.

rustic apple yogurt cake

apple season!!!!!! i just love apple season.

i grew up in the midwest not far from some wonderful farms that had incredible farm markets in the summers. the kind of voluptuous farm markets that dependably unloaded large open trucks of fresh sweet corn every few hours, direct from field to pot, everyone we know bought corn nearly every day in the summer. why eat day old corn when you can eat corn that was picked a few hours ago? there was also an amazing apple orchard with freshly made, unpasteurized cider, and great varieties of apples: early, late, tart, sour, sweet, crisp. the orchard was remote, but always busy and bustling. wonderful.

now that the farmer's markets around here are overflowing with apples, i find myself eating a couple of apples a day (namely jonathans, empires, macouns and macintosh, these are my favorites, the tart eating varieties). amazingly, i still have some apples left for cooking and baking. because apples are completely irresistible to me and, i buy them, not by the bushel, but almost. i really loved going to that apple orchard as a child. so crunchy and sweet/tart these farm fresh apples. we make do, of course, as we must, in late winter when the apples are no longer farm fresh. luckily, all kind of apples are still available and good for baking at that time. this year, i was thinking i wanted to try an apple yogurt cake, since they are perfect for breakfast in a hurry or an after school snack and this cake will keep well for days.

after perusing a lot of recipes, this is what i came up with, it was delicious.

rustic apple yogurt cake

3 cups chopped apples, i use organic granny smith

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups organic all purpose flour (i always use king arthur flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

optional: 2 TBSP brandy instead of the vanilla

preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit

first, chop the apples, i like to make it rustic and leave the peel on. if you have someone who is averse to large apple pieces you could certainly peel and grate the apples instead). pour 1 cup sugar over the shopped apples and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes, this step pulls a lot of the juice out of the apples and flavors the sugar.

next mix 4 eggs with 1 cup yogurt and the vanilla or brandy if using. add in the olive oil. in a separate container, mix the dry ingredients. now, mix the apple mixture with the yogurt/egg mixture. lightly mix the dry ingredients into this, mixing till combined while also mixing as little as possible,. it may look like a lumpy, ghastly mess at this point. that is okay. it turns out delicious. it is not necessary to get the lumps out.

bake in a 9 inch spring form pan that is generously buttered and floured, or since i didn't have that i used a 9 inch insulated cake pan lined with parchment. you could also use a 9 inch rectangular baking pan lined with parchment. i prefer to use parchment in that it doesn't add any butter or flour to the recipe, and this recipe is pretty healthy and not very sweet. no butter, just yogurt and olive oil.

bake in your preheated 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes. allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. a casual, yummy apple yogurt cake for snacks and breakfast. for dessert you could serve it dusted with powdered sugar and with some sweetened whipped cream with brandy. yum. this is a super moist cake that keeps very well. yay, apple season!

pancake tuesday

never one to miss a food holiday, whether or not i fit the religious/geographic profile of the traditional celebrants, i felt compelled to start the day off with pancakes today. these pancakes are rich, luxurious, complex, and flavorful and yet the recipe is so ascetic and healthful, it seems impossible. and yet, here they are:

sour cream oat pancakes with apples and cider

sauce

3 cups organic apple cider

topping

4 large or 6 small apples, peeled and sliced

1 TBSP unsalted butter

dry

3/4 cup unbleached flour

3/4 cup oat flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

liquid

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 TBSP olive oil

add in

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

more milk to thin them if necessary.

okay. first set the cider in a saucepan. let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes until it is reduced by half. swirl in a pat of butter if you are feelling so luxurious. while that is boiling, peel and slice the apples. set a copper or other skillet on high heat. add a bit of butter and saute until the apples brown on the edges just a bit and soften slightly 5 minutes or so. add the reduced cider to the apples, let them sizzle together for a minute or two. then turn off heat.

to mix up your batter sift the dry ingredients. mix up the eggs and liquid in a bowl. add in the dry ingredients. mix up well. batter should not be too thick and gloppy, thin it with extra milk if necessary, it usually is. add in the oats and give a stir.

heat your griddle pan to medium. pour pancake batter into pleasing shapes. flip when the bubbles have bubbled sufficiently.

serve immediately. generously butter your pancakes if you are so inclined, and spoon the apple and cider mixture over all. mmmmm. tender, tart, sweet, buttery deliciousness. not too sweet.

apple crisp

i had a great weekend. i hope you enjoyed yourselves as well. it was r's birthday. we went out with friends. we stayed in. we hung out with the kids and enjoyed each other's company. we got important chores done. we relaxed. we watched movies. we ate well. we had three days. we rested up.

we even had time to bake a dessert. it was not our traditional birthday faire, chocolate cake with ganache frosting. but it was the simpler more rustic apple crisp. one of those desserts invented for when you have a bunch of apples lying around that aren't getting any younger. 20 minutes to put together and an hour to bake. of course this one is full of oats. apples and oats are a natural combination, ask any horse. but you won't find any cinnamon in here, i don't like it with apples. i like the clean taste of apples, as in tart tatin which relies on the butter and sugar caramelizing together to enhance the apple flavor. but, of course, cinnamon or nutmeg could be added here with good result.

i love apple season. having grown up in the eastern middle west. apples were my favorite food, local orchards were plentiful, fresh cider was delicious. back then i preferred jonathan apples. now i like empires best of all the local apples. nice crisp crunch, tart sweet balance. macintosh and macouns can be good too. read up on your favorite apple varieties here.

note: plums, peaches and rhubarb also make great crisps.

apple crisp

preheat oven to 375 F

2 lbs of apples give or take i used 7 medium to large apples, about 4 cups, peeled and sliced

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

1 TBSP sugar

place sliced apples in a medium bowl. add lemon and sugar and stir.

meanwhile make the topping:

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup chilled, sliced)

1 cup of oats

1 cup flour (mix of oat floar, all purpose and whole wheat pastry flour is what i generally use)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans or pistachios might be nice (optional)

combine with your hands until well mixed and sticks together appropriately. a ceramic dish works well as it won't react with the acidic apple mixture. often a gratin pan is used. place apple mixture in pan. cover with crisp mixture. bake in 375 F oven for 1 hour. top should be lightly browned and crisped. apples should be well cooked.

easy peasy. after making lots of tarts lately it is nice to take a break from rolling out pastry. a little more nutritious than pies or tarts with the addition of the oats/nuts, and a more beneficial butter to apple ratio. every little bit helps right?