It’s fall. The leaves have started dropping from the trees and the nights are significantly cooler. It’s refreshing and it makes me crave the tastes of the season. But there's no need to spend hours in the kitchen when you can be enjoying the perfect fall weather outdoors. Here are three quick and easy recipes to use local apples in season now.
Salted Honey Caramel
Makes 3 cups
Caramel. It’s always been sort of a nemesis for me. I’ve made it a bunch of times, but it’s always a matter of “Is it done yet?” or “Is that golden enough?” or “Gosh, darn it, I left it go too long.” Then you have the crushing disappointment of knowing that if you want caramel, you’re gonna have to start all over again.
Not so with this sauce! This Salted Honey Caramel Sauce is so simple you can put all the ingredients in the saucepan and heat it up. That’s it.
There are so many uses for this I can’t even begin. We have eaten this with pears and apples, slightly warming it up in the microwave to soften it. Makes it like new! It’s definitely on the softer side, so it’s better suited for a dip or a sauce than something solid.
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup raw honey
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Flake salt (optional)
Directions:
1. Place all ingredients except salt into sauce pan.
2. Turn heat to medium and bring to boil.
*When you’re cooking it, make sure not to walk away. The addition of the milk at the beginning makes it more prone to scorching. If you end up with some solid pieces forming around the outside, simply put the sauce through a sieve before serving it.
3. Stir constantly, scraping sides often.
4. Once boiling, turn off heat, add salt and allow to cool.
5. Serve warm.
Sugar-Free Easy Crockpot Applesauce
Makes 6-8 cup servings
If you haven’t already heard this from your mama growing up, there are three categories of apples—baking, eating and crossover (or those apples that fit into both of the first two categories.) Of course, you can bake or eat any kind of apple, but your results might not be great. If you choose a baking apple to eat, they tend to be very tart, and the texture might not be very nice. If you bake an eating apple, the texture of the apple when it’s done might be kind of weird. Choosing apples that fit their use is kinda important for a good result.
For this applesauce I chose my all-time favorite crossover apple, Macintosh, and an eating apple, Yellow Delicious. When I tasted it, I had to remind myself that I didn’t add any sugar. It’s that sweet.
Ingredients:
12 apples
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Directions:
1. Peel and core 12 apples. (Try to choose organic apples, as apples are always on the dirty dozen list, meaning they have the most pesticides if not organic.)
2. Put apples into a crockpot and add lemon juice, stirring to cover all the apples.
3. Turn crockpot on high for 3-4 hours.
4. Stir well. If apples are soft and breaking apart, stir until nearly smooth. If there are still small pieces that don’t squish when you smash them against the wall of the crock, cook for another hour. (Each crockpot is a little different.)
5. Add cinnamon to taste.
6. When soft, just stir for slightly chunky applesauce, or blend with a stick blender or puree in a food processor for smooth applesauce.
7. Let cool and refrigerate.
Topsy Turvy Apple Pie
Makes 1
This pie is quite beautiful even if you don’t flip the thing over. This pie is very forgiving, especially when you take a bite of it! One point for gluten-free baking!
Ingredients:
For the pie crust
2 cups gluten-free flour (I use America’s Test Kitchen)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup cold unsalted butter
4-5 tablespoons cold water
For the pie
1 unbaked gluten-free pie crust for a 2-crust pie
3 tablespoons butter, softened
Enough whole pecans to decorate the bottom of the pie plate; remember to place them upside-down
1/3 cup light brown sugar
4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
Juice from ½ lemon
1 tablespoon all-purpose, gluten-free flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, beaten well, for egg wash
Coarse sugar to sprinkle
Directions:
For the pie crust
1. Place all dry ingredients in food processor.
2. Cut butter into 1 tablespoon pieces.
3. Combine beaten egg and vinegar in measuring cup.
4. With food processor running, add butter one piece at a time until it runs smoothly.
5. Add egg/vinegar mixture and pulse to combine.
6. Add water by drizzling into processor while running.Stop as soon as the dough comes together.
7. Turn out onto floured counter and knead to smooth out dough. Divide into two sections and roll out to size between two pieces of plastic wrap lightly coated with oil.
8. Slide large, flexible surface under rolled out dough and plastic wrap. Remove top layer of plastic wrap, place pie plate lightly on top, upside down.
9. Quickly flip pie plate, dough and flexible surface right side up. Prepare dough in pie plate as usual.
For the pie
1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Spread softened butter on bottom of pie plate and thinly up the sides.Press pecans into the butter, arranging them as desired. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and press flat.
2. Place bottom pie crust in pie plate over top brown sugar, allowing edges to hang over.
3. Combine apple slices, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and flour. Mix gently. Place apple mixture into pie shell making sure not to leave many gaps or holes. It should be packed as flat as possible and gently mounded in the center.
4. With a pastry brush, brush water around the outside edge of the pie shell.
5. Gently place top pie crust over apples, patting the crust snugly to fit and pressing the outside rims together. Trim off the excess crust, leaving about ½” crust to hang over the outside rim. Pinch the edges together.
6. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.Carefully cut a few vent holes in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
7. Bake at 350˚ for about 50 minutes or until evenly golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and invert onto pie plate. Holding the inverted plate above the pie, flip the pie over with the plate lightly securing it as it is flipped.
9. Scrape out any remaining caramel, replacing any pecans that might remain in the pan. Serve warm with just about anything.
Click Here for a Pumpkin Bonus Recipe
Cherise Harper is a local food stylist, real food advocate and voracious learner. On her blog “Mr. Farmer’s Daughter,” she shares her gluten-free recipes, organic gardening journey and simple living that’s not always so simple.
