Printer Friendly Version - Ask An Apple

As summer ripens into fall, I look forward to hearing from my friend Stan, who lives down the avenue from me. He has in his side yard two apple trees, one a Macoun and the other a Red Delicious, next to a tall fence covered with vines bearing Concord grapes.

He let me know just the other day that Macoun season had started, that some were ready to pick and some were not. I headed down with my bag, stood under the branches, and wondered which ones were ready to pick. Which ones were not? I knew color had something to do with it; you want to avoid apples that are green (assuming it’s not a Granny Smith) and that apples on the further ends of the branches usually ripen more quickly than those closer to the tree trunk itself. The side of the tree facing south usually ripens more quickly than the north side. Apples at the top usually are ready sooner than those on the bottom, a fact not often useful to me as someone who is short.

Still, that left me with a lot of apple options. When Stan popped out of the house to say hi, I asked him, how do you know? Snacking on a bunch of freshly plucked Concord grapes from one hand, he showed me with his other hand. You lightly grasp the apple, gently lift it towards the branch, and turn it a tiny bit. If it falls off, it is ready. If it clings to the branch, it needs some more time and sunshine.

It reminded me of the times when I’ve puzzled over something or someone and gotten all in my head and analyzed it over and over, when all along, getting the answer ended up being as simple as just asking, as long as I asked the right way.

That puzzle solved, I returned home with a bag of apples. Then: what to make? So many options. One of the first recipes I’m going to tackle is this whiskey apple cake, adapted from a recipe on Love and Lemons.

As for my future apples, I am turning to you. What do you like to make with your fall bounty of apples? Will you please let me know and send me your recipes so that I can share them with your fellow readers? If you have a picture of your finished dish, or the ingredients, or even of you and your family picking apples, I’d love to have that as well, along with any apple stories! Write to me at p.mcnerney@shorepublishing.com and put the word “apples” in the message line. Thank you in advance!

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
⅓ cup grapeseed oil (or some other neutral oil like canola)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 to 3 small apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into ¼- to ½-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoon whiskey, optional
Optional sub for whiskey: ½ teaspoon espresso powder. Or you can skip both the whiskey and the espresso powder, or you can use both
Optional for serving, powdered sugar

Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9-inch round baking pan, or an 8 x 8 square pan, with nonstick spray or butter. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs until pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Add the oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and whiskey and/or espresso powder, if using, and whisk until smooth.
Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk until smooth.
Fold in the apples and half of the nuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining nuts over the cake.
Bake until tester inserted into the center comes out clean with only just-moist crumbs, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for about 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge and turn the cake out onto a cooling rack. Then invert it again so that it is puffy side up, if desired.
Store the cake, wrapped tightly, at room temperature or in the fridge for up to two days.
Just before serving, if desired, sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.