I am fortunate to have a very prolific apple tree in my backyard. While I've made applesauce at home before, I did it the old fashioned way. Another way to make homemade applesauce is with the crockpot but it will take a number of hours. Using the Instant Pot is the quick and easy way to turn apples into applesauce. 

The apples don't have to be perfect. If you have a tree (or access to imperfect produce) you can trim around the imperfections, bird beak stabs, and other natural pitfalls.

This could not be an easier recipe and it doesn't take a lot of time. But there are two things to consider in order to make it how you like it: sugar and cinnamon. The recipe I found online called 2 tsp. of brown sugar but many of the comments said it was just as good without sugar (plus some apple varieties are sweeter than others). As for the cinnamon, the original recipe called for 1 tsp. but I decided to dial that back because, to me, cinnamon can overwhelm. So you will need to make this a few times and figure out what tastes best to you. 

The applesauce will keep in the fridge for awhile. You can also can the applesauce for later use.

Instant Pot Applesauce

Ingredients:

• Apples - 3+ lbs. (any variety) peeled, cored, and chopped
• Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp. (1/2 tsp. if you like more cinammon)
• Water - 1/2 cup
• Salt - dash

Instructions:

1. Prepare apples
2. Combine all ingredients in an Instant Pot and stir to mix
3. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes
4. When done, let sit for 10 minutes
5. Carefully, release the rest of the steam with the valve
6. Stir with a whisk

Waldorf Salad - Revisited

"I'll have the Waldorf Salad."

I think the last time I uttered those words, I was 8 years old in a restaurant in late 1960's somewhere in the Los Angeles area. The Waldorf Salad is, indeed, a classic and an icon. Created around 1896 at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, it became a hit for many years. As salads go in the 1960's and 1970, a Waldorf salad was as good a selection as the wedge of iceberg lettuce coated with blue cheese dressing and croutons. Those were your some of your main exotic salad choices back then.

If you have no background on the Waldorf salad, know that the "original version of this salad contained only apples, celery and mayonnaise. Chopped walnuts later became an integral part of the dish. Waldorf salad is usually served on top of a bed of lettuce." Follow the link to read more.

So how did the words "Waldorf Salad" get uttered in recent history with me? We were watching the growing pile of apples from our CSA box. Week after week brought even more apples.

Apple pie? We are not sweets people. We'd consume a slice or two and then it would sit and go bad.

Applesauce? I have jars of it from last year and the year before still sitting in the pantry.

Then I heard the magic words: "Can't you--I don't know--make a Waldorf salad or something?"

I hadn't thought about Waldorf salad for the last number of decades. So I got online and found plenty of variations on the original recipe.

But I had a couple of problems. My allergy to brown skinned nuts means no walnuts. Also, we are not big raisins fans. But Waldorf salad IS a good way to make a dent in the apple supply. So I needed to be creative. For the nuts, I found a bag of "not-so-salty" chopped cashews at Trader Joe's. Instead of raisins, I substituted dried currants from the bulk food section of Whole Foods. Everything else is true to the original recipe. But the substitutions were perfect!

Waldorf Salad Revisited

• 4 apples, cored and chopped
• juice from 1 medium lemon
• 1-2 tbsp. lemon zest
• 2-3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup nuts of choice
• 1/2 cup raisins or currants
• 2-3 cups mayonnaise (can use sour cream or yogurt)

Directions

• Juice the lemon into a large bowl
• Core and cut the apples and add them to the bowl as you go. Stir to mix periodically so that lemon juice covers the apples (you can also use ascorbic acid powder in addition to the lemon juice)
• Zest lemon peel into bowl
• Slice and add celery
• Add all other ingredients to bowl
• Stir to mix and then add mayo and nuts

Put in the fridge for an hour or so to let the flavors marry. Stir to mix prior to serving. 

Apple Cranberry Muffins

A pound of fresh cranberries were a part of this week's box. I popped one into my mouth and got the full dose of that cranberry tartness. I was also taken back to my childhood Thanksgiving meals where a gelatinous can of cranberry sauce was opened and sliced.

I got online and did some researching. Fresh cranberries can be frozen and will keep for up to nine months. Because of its tartness, it is often combined with other, sweeter fruits when making breads or muffins. Because we had a number of apples, I decided to go for this recipe.

This made a dozen muffins and two small loafs of bread. That I stuck in the freezer for the holidays.

Apple Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 large apple, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup cranberry juice
• 1/2 - 1/3 cup finely chopped cranberries
• 3 tablespoons vanilla extract (yes, 3. Not a typo)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine apples, sugar (2 tbsp.), and cinnamon and set aside.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• Combine eggs, oil, cranberry juice, cranberries, and vanilla extract in a bowl.
• Slowly pour the egg/oil mixture into the flour mixture stirring until fully mixed together
• Grease the muffin pans
• Fill about 1/3 of pan with the batter and then spoon a tablespoon of apples into the batter. 
• Make another pass with the batter covering the apples and filling up the muffins about 2/3 full.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes

Apple Pie Filling

My posts a few years ago had me troubled about my new apple tree. In its first few years it did not produce a whole lot of fruit. Maybe I was not giving it proper care or maybe it just needed a few years to mature. I'm not sure but this year I got a viable crop of apples. The coloring on the peel was still not what I expected but below the peel all was tasty.

A few weekends ago I harvested a shopping bag full of apples. In an earlier post, I had thought that I'd turn all my apples into canned applesauce, but some internet research got me interested in canned apple pie filling. I used most of my apple crop to make the 3 + quarts of apple pie filling. The rest will become applesauce. I was able to take some of the overflow apple pie filling to work with some yogurt the next day and it was quite tasty.

I won't go into the recipe here. Instead, I will just link you to the informative recipe I more or less followed.

Canning Applesauce

A friend recently brought by a dozen apples from the tree in his yard. I had no idea what kind they were but they joined an already full plate of fruit from a variety of sources.

My own apple tree is getting close to harvest-time so I thought this might be a good test run on canning some applesauce.

So I ran down to my local hardware store and picked up a dozen half pint jars. I came home and stuck some in the dishwasher to get them sterilized. I followed my earlier recipe for applesauce again using some honey in lieu of sugar. In order to can the applesauce, follow the earlier recipe and then add these steps.

Once the applesauce is processed, bring the applesauce back to a boil. Using a canning funnel, ladle in the hot applesauce into sterile jars leaving a half inch of head space. Use a wooden chop stick or other non-reactive utensil to stir out any air bubbles. Clean the rim and screw on sterile lids.

Set the jars in a boiling hot water bath for 20 minutes. Remove them from the water and let cool on a towel for 12 hours. Check that the lids sealed. Put them away to enjoy in a future recipe.

Apple Sharlotka

This time of year, it's easy to get overwhelmed with citrus and fruit. In the box, we've had lots of pears and Satsumas recently. Oranges and lemons are coming in and there are lots of apple varieties still in season.

Our overrunning fruit bowl got a little lighter after a friend sent me this recipe for something called Apple Sharlotka. I had to agree with her that it looked simple, delicious, and not unhealthy. Plus, I had plenty of apples on hand.

A sharlotka is a traditional Russian cake; not unlike the French clafouti. Both are simple, traditional cakes requiring few ingredients and made often to go along with tea or coffee.

The recipe is ripe for experimentation. Try substituting out some of the white flour for a healthier flour. Try some brown sugar instead of white. More nutmeg or cinnamon.

The results were quite tasty. Lots of fruit and not overly sweet.

Apple Sharlotka

Ingredients:

• Butter or non-stick spray
• 6 large tart apples, such a Granny Smith
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Ground cinnamon, to finish
• Powdered sugar, to finish

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Get a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Lock the paper and the bottom back into the pan.
3. Butter or non-stick spray the bottom and sides.
4. Peel and core the apples. I used an apple slicer/corer which made 8 slices. I sliced those once again to make 16 slices and then chopped in the opposite direction making 4 or 5 chunks per slice. Add apple chunks to the springform pan.
5. In a large bowl add eggs and sugar. Using an electric hand mixer beat the eggs and sugar until they are well blended. 
6. Add in the vanilla and nutmeg.
7. With the mixer still going, add in the flour one tablespoon at a time mixing well before adding the next. Each spoonful will add more thickness. When all of the flour is in you may be asking yourself, "Is this cake mixture or drywall compound?" Meanwhile, slowly spin the bowl while mixing searching for hidden bits of flour on the bottom.
8. Pour the mixture over the apples and use a spoon to thoroughly mix the apples and the batter. Take the time to evenly distribute the batter throughout.
9. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the springform pan for at least 10 minutes. 
11. After cooling, run a kitchen knife between the cake and pan. Unlock the pan and remove the side. Flip cake onto a dinner plate and remove the bottom and the parchment paper.
12. Dust with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

Applesauce and Apple Bread

First off, never buy applesauce again. It is super easy to make at home and you get to control the ingredients and the amount of sugar (if any!). The results are excellent.

We found ourselves with a lot of apples recently. We've been getting them in the box and a friend gave us some apples from the tree in his yard. So I decided to make apple bread. I got online and looked around and settled on a recipe. But as I was reading the comments below the recipe a lot of people said they omitted the oil and added some applesauce instead. Less calories and it makes the bread moister. I had enough apples to do both. So let's start with the applesauce...

Applesauce

• 4 apples, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice

The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of sugar. Yikes! I added no sugar opting for a 1/2 teaspoon of honey. If you do want sugar just start with 1 tablespoon and build it up over time until you get it to your liking.

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally for 20 minutes or until apples are soft. Allow to cool and then mash with a fork or a potato masher. I used my potato ricer.

This will make about a cereal bowl's worth of applesauce. It will keep in the refrigerator for a week or so. Now that I had the applesauce, it was time to make the bread.

Apple Bread

• 3 cups of flour (I did 2 regular, 1 spelt)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix and set aside.

In a large bowl place applesauce, apples, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir to mix.

Combine bowls and mix well. The batter will be pretty thick. Too thick? Add 1/4 cup of orange juice. Pour the contents into bread pans or muffin pans. Bake at 350 or 40-45 minutes. Use a toothpick to test. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans. 

I made one large loaf, 2 small loaves, and 6 muffins (There's only 5 in the photo because I had to test one!). This makes excellent muffins.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

We had a backlog of apples from the box over the last few weeks that we had yet to use. Then a neighbor dropped by with some more homegrown apples. Usually I would make an apple pie in situations like this but I was inspired by this recipe from a fellow CSAer to go for the crisp. I like the idea of incorporating oats instead of just a white flour pie crust. The crisp is a nice, tasty alternative to pie.

As a starting point, I just used the recipe off of the oats box (with a few minor modifications). It says you can also use pears and peaches instead.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

Filling:

• 6 cups of diced apples, peel on (about 6-8 apples)
  
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (I didn't have any so I used some honey and brown sugar instead)
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Topping:

• 1 cup Quick or Old Fashioned uncooked oats (I used Country Choice available to Trader Joe's)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 stick of melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 375. With a small dab of butter grease the bottom of a glass or ceramic 9 inch pie pan.
2. In a large bowl collect the apple pieces, lemon juice, cranberries, syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until well mixed. Spread evenly into the pie pan.
3. Prepare the topping by mixing together the oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Spread evenly over the fruit.
   
4. Bake 35-40 minutes or until fruit is tender.
5. Remove from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes

Apple Oven Cake

I was paging through an old Sunset magazine (October 2009) when a recipe caught my eye. It sometimes seems that we can't always keep up with the apples from our box. I slice them into salads at every opportunity but I'm always looking for ways to use 1 or 2 of those Fuji apples.

This was a snap to make and I loved how the cast iron skillet was used for both stove top and oven. It could actually be made from scratch after dinner. It was definitely made in 30 minutes or less as advertised.

I made a few slight changes from the original recipe (seen next to the skillet in the photo).

Here's what I did:

Apple Oven Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 apples, such as Fuji, peeled and sliced (original recipe called for just one)
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup each flour and milk (I used non-fat)
• lime juice (original recipe called for lemon juice but I'm swimming in limes from the backyard right now)
  
• powdered sugar
  

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• In a large bowl, combine eggs, salt, flour, and milk. Use a hand blender to mix until well blended.
• Peel and slice apples
  
• Melt butter in a 12" cast iron (or other ovenproof skillet) over high heat.
• Add brown sugar and cinnamon, swirling to combine.
  
• Stir in apples and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes
• Pour in egg mixture and transfer to oven. Bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle with juice and powdered sugar. Use a wire mesh colander for the powdered sugar. Press sugar through wire with your fingers.
  

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

There are more apples than we can keep up with. During these times we often add sliced apples to our salads. Today I decided to make muffins (always looking for reasons to pull out the Kitchen-Aid mixer). I searched for a basic recipe online and made the following. The bad news is it ended up only using two apples!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 cups finely chopped apples, peeled and cored

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375
• Mix first four ingredients in a bowl and mix together
• Chop apples. Keep in a bowl with some lemon juice sprinkled on top to prevent browning
• With mixer on low, add all remaining ingredients and mix until flour is moistened
• Spoon batter into a greased muffin pan
• Bake until golden brown on top - 18 - 24 minutes
• Let cool for 5 minutes before removing muffins from the pan
  

Yields about 8-10 muffins. I used regular white flour today but next time I might experiment with whole wheat flour for some or all of the flour.