Apple Festival!
In September, the Divas celebrated fresh local ingredients, showcasing apples. Neither smoke alarms nor thunderstorms could put a damper on this delicious evening!
Apple Cider Martini
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce apple cider
1/2 ounce cinnamon liqueur
1/2 ounce apple brandy
Rinse a glass with the apple brandy and dump it out. (I did this the first time, but it seemed like a waste. After that, I added the apple brandy to the shaker with the other ingredients.) Combine vodka, apple cider, and cinnamon liqueur in a shaker half-filled with ice, and shake until icy cold. Strain into a glass. If you're feeling ambitious, garnish with an apple slice.
Double the recipe--a shaker will hold the ingredients for two cocktails at a time, and who wants to measure half an ounce of anything?
1 ounce apple cider
1/2 ounce cinnamon liqueur
1/2 ounce apple brandy
Rinse a glass with the apple brandy and dump it out. (I did this the first time, but it seemed like a waste. After that, I added the apple brandy to the shaker with the other ingredients.) Combine vodka, apple cider, and cinnamon liqueur in a shaker half-filled with ice, and shake until icy cold. Strain into a glass. If you're feeling ambitious, garnish with an apple slice.
Double the recipe--a shaker will hold the ingredients for two cocktails at a time, and who wants to measure half an ounce of anything?
Carmelized Onion Apple Bites
Makes 32 triangles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound yellow onions, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt
2 Granny Smith or other tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted just before use (I used phyllo, but recommend the puff pastry -- it's easier to work with)
3 ounces bleu cheese (the recipe I used a s a guide called for shredded fontina)
1 tablespoon minced thyme leaves
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound yellow onions, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt
2 Granny Smith or other tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted just before use (I used phyllo, but recommend the puff pastry -- it's easier to work with)
3 ounces bleu cheese (the recipe I used a s a guide called for shredded fontina)
1 tablespoon minced thyme leaves
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, 5 minutes.
- Add apples and stir to coat. Reduce heat and cook, stirring often, until onions are medium brown, 30 minutes. Stir in pepper and salt to taste. Let cool, about 10 minutes.
- Unwrap puff pastry sheet. Cut sheet into 16 squares, then halve them diagonally to make 32 triangles. Arrange them, not touching, on a baking sheet. (If you use phyllo, follow the package directions to lay it out and brush with butter.)
- Place a spoonful of cooled onion-apple mixture on each triangle. Top with cheese and thyme. Bake until puffed and golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
Warm Apple, Leek & Arugula Salad
Adapted from Jonathan Bardzik at the market. *All* of the ingredients are available from Eastern Market.
Serves 4-6 (although it makes enough dressing for twice that many, at least).
Ingredients:
2 T butter
2 leeks, thinly sliced
1 tsp. sugar
2 honey crisp apples, halved, cored and thinly sliced
1 tsp. chopped thyme
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Arugula
For the vinaigrette:
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
1 (heaping) T dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions:
In a small jar, cover the shallot with vinegar and a pinch of salt, set aside.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Saute' leek, sprinkled with sugar, over medium-low heat until soft and golden (8-10 minutes). Add apple and herbs and cook until apples are soft, but not mush (8-10 minutes).
Drizzle olive oil in a steady stream into the balsamic & shallot, whisking constantly. Add mustard and whisk until combined.
Dress the arugula with the vinaigrette. Top each plate with the apples and leeks and some crumbles of blue cheese.
Carmel Apple Pork Chops
courtesy of Allrecipes.com
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
- 3 tablespoons pecans (optional)
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done. Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops. Keep warm in the preheated oven.
- Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over apples and chops. Sprinkle with pecans.
Apple, Pear, Cranberry Crisp
Adapted from an Ina Garten Recipe.
Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel and core the pears and apples and cut them into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and toss with the cranberries, zests, juices, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. This is the most work. After you've peeled, cored and cut the fruit, then you're basically finished!
For the topping: Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, which I did not have. So, I used a hand mixer and then a wooden spoon until it looked right. Mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.
Place the baking dish on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm. This is great reheated the next day, covered in foil in an over at 200 degrees for the length of dinner. It's best served with vanilla ice cream, but that's a personal preference not a rule.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ripe Bosc pears (4 pears)
- 2 pounds firm Macoun apples (6 apples)
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel and core the pears and apples and cut them into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and toss with the cranberries, zests, juices, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. This is the most work. After you've peeled, cored and cut the fruit, then you're basically finished!
For the topping: Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, which I did not have. So, I used a hand mixer and then a wooden spoon until it looked right. Mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.
Place the baking dish on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm. This is great reheated the next day, covered in foil in an over at 200 degrees for the length of dinner. It's best served with vanilla ice cream, but that's a personal preference not a rule.