Regular grocery store apples, like the common white egg, have become such uniform kitchen staples that individuality has all but disappeared. But look around as autumn brings abundance to specialty apple bins this year. Increasing numbers of antique or heirloom apple varieties are again becoming available nationally. With names like Arkansas Black, Fall Pippin, King David, Malinda, Sweet Vermont and Zach Red, these apples, along with many other regional heirlooms, impart their own unique qualities. Just as you experiment with new ingredients and seasonings, taking a chance on antique apple varieties provides novel freshness to your cooking and baking repertoire.
TIP Fish is tenderized and sweetened by the apple vinegar-onion broth in the recipe that follows. Broth ingredients may be prepared beforehand, but cook fish just before serving for best results. This Russian-inspired dish combines the tartness of horseradish with the sweetness of cooked, pureed apples. Halibut With Apples and Horseradish 2 pounds halibut or cod 1 cup apple cider (or white wine ) vinegar 1 / 2 cup sliced leeks 1 1 / 2 cups sliced onion 1 / 2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 / 4 cup minced parsley 1 / 2 teaspoon ground black pepper Russian Applesauce (recipe follows ) Cut fish into 4 filets. Remove and discard any bones. Place fish in a large saucepan. Cover fish with vinegar, leeks, onion, thyme, parsley and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, over medium heat until fish is fork tender, about 8 minutes. (Prepare applesauce while fish is cooking. ) Serve fish and vegetables topped with applesauce mixture. Makes 4 servings.
Russian Applesauce 1 cup tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1 tablespoon unfiltered (raw ) or regular honey 1 / 4 cup apple juice 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 / 4 cup freshly grated horseradish root or prepared horseradish, drained In a saucepan, mix apples, honey, apple juice and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, and cook, covered, over high heat for 5 minutes. Mash apples with a fork. Stir in horseradish and mix well. Makes about 1 / 2 cup. Serve this home-baked apple cake warm with an easy-to-make rum sauce simply prepared in the microwave. Rum-Sauced Autumn Apple Cake 3 eggs 3 / 4 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 1 / 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1 / 2 cups granulated sugar 1 1 / 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 / 4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 / 4 teaspoon baking soda 3 / 4 teaspoon baking powder 1 / 2 teaspoon salt 3 cups peeled, cored, diced tart apples (about 1 1 / 2 pounds ) 1 1 / 2 cups chopped walnuts Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs, oil and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, stirring to combine thoroughly. Add to egg mixture and whisk to blend. Stir in apples and nuts. Spoon batter into a greased 9-by-13-inch baking pan or a 10-inch fluted or plain tube pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (30 to 40 minutes for oblong pan — 40 to 50 minutes for tube pan ). Cool 30 minutes in pan on rack before cutting. Makes 12 servings.
Rum Sauce 6 tablespoons butter OR margarine 1 / 2 cup granulated sugar 1 egg 3 tablespoons rum Place butter in a 2-cup glass measure or microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high (100 percent power ) 30 to 45 seconds to melt butter. Stir sugar and egg into butter. Microwave on medium (50 percent power ) until sugar dissolves and sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once during cooking. Cool slightly; stir in rum. Sauce may be made ahead and reheated gently in microwave oven or saucepan over low heat at serving time. Makes 1 cup.
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