What better month of the year to designate as National Apple Month than October! Business is brisk at the local orchards as lots of folks flock there to purchase their favorite apple varieties. I went to one fairly close to me last week to obtain some Jonagolds.
Making things with apples has long been a tradition in the Ray household. I couldn’t even begin to number all the recipes I have tried. Most of them have turned out well, although there have been a few flops.
My adventures with apples began in my elementary days when my sisters and I decided to come up with our own version of apple candy. The batch made with white sugar turned out to be more sticky, while the brown sugar variety ended up being more of a fudge-like consistency. And that was only the beginning of my lengthy stretch of cooking with apples.
I have made apple butter, applesauce, apple jelly, apple cake, apple pies, apple brownies, apple salad – the list goes on and on, including apple pizza. My very favorite apple is a good Stayman Winesap; Jonathan apples and Yellow Delicious rank high on my list. I use the latter varieties to make applesauce and apple butter. Using a mixture of two-thirds Jonathan and one-third Yellow Delicious usually ends up sweet enough that I don’t have to add sugar. When my Aunt Betsy was living, I used to make her a special batch of apple butter with no sugar, as she was diabetic.
This week’s recipes include two new ones I have tried recently. My Sunday School class loved the cinnamon rolls that included apple butter, and I made the scones just this morning. They were scrumptious!
Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls
5 Tablespoons butter, melted (divided)
2-1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup apple butter
Filling:
6 tablespoons apple butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons apple butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 10-by-10-inch pan with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
In large bowl, sift together flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Create well in center; pour in buttermilk, apple butter, and 4 tablespoons melted butter. Slowly beat on low with mixer until soft dough forms.
Place dough ball on floured surface; knead a few times to make dough more manageable; it’s very sticky. Pat out to form 10-by-14-inch rectangle, making sure to keep flour underneath.
Spread 6 tablespoons apple butter over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch margin along edges. Mix brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon together in small bowl. Sprinkle over apple butter.
Gently and slowly, roll dough up from the longest side. Use a butter knife to gently loosen dough as you roll. Cut roll into 10 slices.
Place slices cut side down on the pan; bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread glaze over slightly cooled rolls.
Glaze: Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and apple butter until creamy.
Fresh Apple Caramel Scones
2-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon apple pie spice or cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter
3/4 cup chopped fresh apple, in 1/2″ pieces; skin on, if you like
3/4 cup caramel bits
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened preferred
Topping
3 tablespoons coarse white sparkling sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and spice.
Work in butter just until mixture is unevenly crumbly.
Stir in the chopped apple and caramel bits.
In separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, and applesauce.
Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients; stir until all is moistened and holds together.
Line a baking sheet with parchment. No parchment? Use pan without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop parchment or pan.
Scrape dough onto floured parchment or pan; divide in half. Gently pat and round each half into a 5 to 5-1/2-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick.
Topping: Stir together the coarse sugar and cinnamon. Brush each circle with milk; sprinkle with topping.
Run knife or bench knife under cold water; slice each circle into 6 wedges.
Carefully pull wedges away from center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2 inch space between them.
Place pan of scones in freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While they are chilling, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Bake scones for 18 – 22 minutes, or until golden brown. Pull one away from the others, it should look baked all the way through; the edge shouldn’t look wet or unbaked.
Remove scones from oven; cool briefly on pan. Serve warm. When completely cool, wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to several days.
Yield: 12 large scones.
To reheat room-temperature scones, place on a baking sheet, tent lightly with foil, and warm in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Bacon Waldorf Salad
2-3 apples – red, green, or mixed – chopped into small cubes
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup red grapes, sliced in half
2 stalks celery, chopped
3/4 cup yellow raisins
3/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
Green Leaf lettuce
In a small mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, yogurt, and honey until
well mixed. Set aside.
Put all other ingredients, besides lettuce, into a large mixing bowl. Pour
mayonnaise-yogurt mixture over all other ingredients and mix well.
Allow to chill in refrigerator for about an hour, longer if needed. Serve
over green leaf lettuce.
Crustless Sausage-Apple Quiche
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage (may use turkey sausage)
1-1/2 cups finely chopped apple
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup shredded medium or sharp Cheddar cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup biscuit mix
Cook sausage until browned, stirring to crumble; drain well. Set aside.
Combine apple, spices, cheese, and sausage. Spoon into a 9-inch quiche dish or deep dish pieplate.
Combine eggs, half-and-half, and biscuit mix in a mixing bowl; mix well. Pour over apple mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until set.