Cooking with apples in autumn

In Israel now, pomegranates, grapes and clementines are popular. Clementines are a hybrid of a mandarin orange and a sweet orange. Apples are also popular and, personally, apples are my favourite fall and winter fruit. I’m really a firm believer that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”! Here are some apple recipes to try.

Baked apples

• 4 cored apples
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 4 tsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 6 tsp. raisins (optional)
• vanilla extract (optional)
• ½ cup rum, sherry or apple juice

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place apples in a baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Fill centres with brown sugar and raisins if using. Drizzle with vanilla, if using, and cinnamon.
3. Pour rum, sherry or apple juice into bottom of dish. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, baste, bake 10 minutes more, baste and bake 10 minutes more.

I buy red cinnamon candies and place a few in each apple to give them a pink colour and a nice extra cinnamon taste. 4 servings

Microwave apple butter

Apple butter originated in the Middle Ages in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany when monasteries had large orchards. It also became popular in Colonial America when colonists had orchards.

• 4 cored and sliced apples
• ½ cup apple juice or cider
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ to 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1. Place apples in a casserole with juice or cider. Microwave on high 4 minutes, stir and continue microwaving another 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Place in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Return to casserole; add sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Microwave on high 10-12 minutes until thick. Pour into jars, seal and refrigerate. 2 cups

My mom’s deep dish apple pie

Crust

• 1¼ cups flour
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 5 tbsp. water

Filling

• 4-6 sliced apples
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. butter or margarine
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• ¼ cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a mixing bowl or food processor, combine flour, baking powder, salt, butter or margarine and water and blend into a dough. Roll out to fit two pie plates.
3. In another bowl, combine apples, sugar, butter or margarine, cinnamon, nutmeg and water.
4. Place one dough piece into a pie plate. Spoon filling onto dough. Cover with dough topping and crimp edges to secure. Place a slit in the top to let steam escape.
5. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 50-60 minutes.

Applesauce spice cake

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground allspice
• ½ tsp. cloves
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup chopped nuts
• ½ cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking pan. In a mixer, combine oil and sugar. Add egg yolks.
2. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and applesauce. Add nuts and raisins. Pour batter into pan. Bake in preheated 350 oven 45 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.