What better way to “start up” Fall than by spending the day with your girlfriends apple picking and catching up on the latest news and gossip.
I’m going to tell you how to spice up the day and turn it into something memorable; something my friends and I call “Apple picking with a TWIST”
First, find the perfect orchard: check out http://www.pickyourown.org/CT.html for the latest “pick your own” farms. Who says you have to just pick apples. This website gives you the “Skinny” on the best places to pick any crop.
Start off by sending an email/invite to all of your friends. Include the date, time, location, what to bring and all the info on the “TWIST”.
I like to go on Sundays; this way the guys can watch football and the girls get to spend time together, alone. Propose a meeting spot, grab a coffee, load up on water and compare the best driving directions. With todays gas prices, talk about carpooling. In the same email, ask friends to bring their favorite alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage. If you’re thinking of doing wine, a Riesling goes great with Apples and brings out their sweetness. You might also want to try some warm apple cider for those “cold” apple picking days. Add a little spice to your cider and add Captain Morgan Rum so you’ll fee real toasty.
Don’t forget snacks – its great to munch on apples along the way but you need to have a little sustenance especially to soak up all of that alcohol. Ask everyone to bring something to share. I know my girlfriends and I are snack queens and it’s always great to see who brings the latest, coolest and yummy snacks; ahhh, it brings me back to snack time in kindergarten.
Ok, now lets get down to Apple Picking Business…
Most orchard’s bags are anywhere from $17-$23- that gives you about 30 apples. You might want to think about splitting a bag with a friend even though you have promised everyone at work a delicious apple pie or apple crisp. (Boy do I have a great recipe!) You’ll want to roam around the orchard to find the best variety. I like to start at then end of the apple trail so I can pick an assortment of apples and easily find my way back to the car.
Now that you’ve have had your wine…snacks…and fun, its time for the TWIST.
Invite the girls back to your house and join the boyfriends, husbands, recipes and ingredients. The guys watch the game the ladies get to cook…how 1950’s does this sound? My friends, my recipes, the guys- what more could a girl want.
Before I head to the orchard, I set up the kitchen. This way I’ll be ready to “roll” when we return home from our adventure. I take out all my baking pans, silpats (A non-stick baking sheet. If you don’t have one, I suggest you get one, it changed my life when it comes to baking). I give all my girlfriends a designated cooking area on my kitchen island and a small gift bag that includes an apple corer, my favorite apple pie recipe and a bottle of fresh squeezed apple cider. Since the guys will be home all day, I mark the area off with red tape to keep them out of the baking area……sort of like police tape.
What a “fun day’ and the best part of all is eating the delicious desserts we’ve all just created!!
If you’re having troubling finding a recipe. Check out Food Network Magazine(the October issue)which gives you 31 ways to prepare apples or ask our very own, Marcia who has a whole “Tree” full of apple recipes.
I’ve posted 2 of my favorite recipes. Do try them and drop us a note to let us know how you liked them. We love to hear from all of you!
And oh, how about this…have some fun thinking of additional phrases with the word apple….…
Adam’s Apple, An Apple a day Keeps the Doctor Away, Apple of My Eye, As American as Apple Pie, An Apple For the Teacher, The Big Apple, Adam’s Apple,
Candy Apple, All American Apple Pie, Apple Blossom, Crab Apple, The Bad Apple Floats on Top, One Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch,Your Neighbour’s Apples Are Always the Sweetest, Don’t Look for Apples Under Oak Trees,
Taste a Bitter Apple First and a Sweet One will Taste Even Better”, “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But Me…Oh Anyone Else but Me.”
Happy Fall!!!!
Best- Dana
HOT MULLED APPLE CIDER
1 qt. apple cider
8 whole cloves
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. each nutmeg and ginger
1 stick cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in 1 1/2 quart sauce pan. Cook until brown sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes; strain. Serve hot in cups. Garnish with lemon slices and cinnamon sticks for stirring. May keep warm in Crock pot on low. Yields 1 quart.
PERFECT APPLE PIE
PASTRY:
3/4 cup cake flour
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
scant tsp salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon lard
4 Tablespoons Crisco shortening
large pinch Rumford Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon buttermilk powder OR:
1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar ADDED TO:
5-7 Tablespoons ice water
one stick plus 1/3 stick butter, frozen in advance
FILLING:
10 Apples, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
sprinkle of mace (optional)
sprinkle of vanilla
lemon juice
Flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot for thickening
Preheat oven to 400°F, then reduce to 375°F after pie is in the oven.
Combine dry ingredients. Mix together Crisco and lard in metal bowl. Sprinkle with flour mixture. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remove butter from freezer and slice into 1/2 inch chunks. Add to bowl. Work butter and shortenings together into flour with fingers or a pastry blender, leaving large chunks, the size of walnuts. The purpose is to coat the butter particles with flour, but not to allow the butter or shortenings to melt. Do not overwork the mixture.
Add the lemon juice or vinegar to ice water and stir quickly into dry ingredients. Mix briefly, less than 45 seconds, leave large unincorporated pockets of butter and shortening. If mixture is beginning to melt, refrigerate briefly.
Gather mixture together into a flat disc, approximately 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour or up to 2 days. Freeze if you want to reserve longer than 2 days. The half hour rest is necessary so that the dough will become easier to roll out. The buttermilk powder and/or lemon juice also helps relax the dough and prevent gluten, which can make for a tough crust.
NOTE: For a flakier pie crust, reserve 1/3 stick of butter and slice lengthwise, 1/8 inch thick. Place strips of butter onto dough and then fold into thirds before refrigerating for half hour resting period.
For the filling, use a combination of different types of apples. The best combination consists of mostly Granny Smith apples and a few Cortland types. The Granny Smith apples retain their shape when cooked and provide tartness and flavor. Meanwhile, the Cortland apples cook down into applesauce.
Mix the nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon with the sugar. Sprinkle the sugar with a few drops of pure vanilla extract. Work the butter and 2 Tablespoons flour or other thickener into the sugar. Slice the apples into thin wedges and place apples into pre-rolled out and fitted pie crust, packing apples in tightly, since they will cook down significantly. Mound apples higher in center. Sprinkle over the apples the juice of 1/2 lemon, then sprinkle the sugar-spice mixture over the apples evenly.
Roll out and place top crust, fluting edges to seal tightly and creating several vent holes to allow steam to escape.
Brush top of crust with a mixture of one egg white and one tablespoon of water or with a little cream. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.
Variation: One method of making a nice base for your apple pie is to peel a portion of the apples, placing the skins, cores, lemon peels, cinnamon sticks, and fresh grated ginger, into a saucepan with sugar and half cup of water or apple juice. Simmer over low heat for about an hour and strain, reserving the liquid. Thicken 1/2 cup of the strained liquid with 1-2 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot and cool. Add 1/4 tsp vanilla, the sliced and peeled apples, and pour into the pie shell. This is a nice variation when you don’t have cortland apples to mix in with the granny smiths because it keeps the pie from being too dry. The liquid is enough for one 10-inch pie about 4 inches tall at center. Adjust according to your pie size.
Bake about 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.