Apple Dessert, as in 1945

Darienne shared this simple delicious apple recipe with us while she was visiting her childhood home in New England, a couple years  ago.

Besides being with her family, she was surrounded by a unique collection of something like 469 cookbooks(!). The recipe is from the 1945 North Amherst Cookbook, created by the Ladies Social Circle of the North Congregational Church of Amherst, Mass.

The Ladies Social Circle Apple Dessert

In Darienne's words: "Apple Dessert, contributed by one Edith French, is similar to an apple cobbler but with more of a cookie-like topping, instead of a cake-like topping, as my mother puts it. Her grandmother used to prepare it from this same cookbook, and my mother made it for her family when she was growing up and then for her own children. On that week she made it for a fifth generation."

4 or 5 apples

1 cup sugar, divided

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. butter, softened

salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel and slice apples. Fill pie plate with sliced apples. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Bake about 15 minutes.

Remove pie plate from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar, egg, flour, baking powder, butter, and salt. Dot mixture over apples. Return to oven and bake for 35 minutes.

Chicken with Apples and Saffron

Photo by Adi Ziv-Av

This recipe was first made while we were still living in Forest Hills, New York, seven years ago. The thought of celebrating the Jewish New Year was a culinary challenge for me. I wanted to gather apples, saffron, chicken and even some honey and nuts. With some inspiration of Moroccan flavors and Indian marinades, I made a fusion and the result became a tradition in my family.

As I usually do every year, I keep changing  the recipe slightly.  Gravenstein was the choice for apples, no dried fruits were in the marinade, chicken was the best ever from Mary's Free Range, and instead of couscous we had some purple potatoes with capers and cranberry beans.  

Apple Saffron Chicken

The yogurt marinade is the key to success with the chicken texture. I used a low-fat organic natural yogurt from Trader Joe's and that worked perfectly. This year I tested mashed papaya as main marinade ingredient instead of yogurt. The result was equally delicious.

A good saffron also helps. This year I found a very good one by Morton and Basset from Novato, California. 

2 cups apple juice

12- 14 saffron threads

2 cups of your favorite mixed dry fruit

6 tablespoons low-fat natural yogurt

kosher salt to taste

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 medium white onion, cut in cubes

3 pounds chicken breasts, butterflied

1 pound chicken thigh filets, fat removed

2 medium Pink Lady apples, thinly sliced

Your favorite honey to drizzle the apples

Warm apple juice and add saffron (and dried fruit, if used) . Reserve for later. In a big bowl whisk together yogurt (or papaya)  salt, olive oil and onion. Immerse chicken pieces and marinade overnight or a minimum of 2 hours.

Heat large skillet over high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade. Sear each piece of chicken, being careful to just bring the meat to the surface. If not using a ovenproof skillet, transfer the seared meat to a ovenproof dish. Cover with reserved marinade, and use the slices of apple as a top layer on the dish, to work as a lid. Bake in oven for 25 minutes at 375F. Serve hot. Ideal sides are salads, couscous and rice.

Honey-Gravenstein Apple Parcels

If you are celebrating the arrival of the  Jewish New Year, or the first week of autumn, or just love seasonal apples, this is a cute way to bring apple with honey to your table inside a different, elegant and healthy package.

I was lucky enough to find some delicious Gravenstein apples in my local market, which brought all the flavors needed to make these morsels so irresistible. If you've never tasted one of these apples before, I promise you will never forget them: their sweetness and tartness are unique.

From today, we will also celebrate the arrival of autumn with a series of recipes that bring apples to your plate. Enjoy!

And, before we forget, have a sweet (and very healthy) new year!

Apple Parcels

I adapted this from a very basic recipe by Great American Home Baking. I mainly changed all the ingredients and used Israeli date honey to finish it, but I believe any clover honey will do. Also, this recipe is vegan, with no animal fat in it and, therefore, zero cholesterol. 

Pastry
3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup canola oil spread (such as Healthy Balance)
1 tablespoon organic brown turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed in three tablespoons of water
1 tablespoon almond milk
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Filling
2 chopped, unpeeled Gravenstein apples (golden delicious, the ones shown in the photo, will work fine too!)
1/2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
zest of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 F. On a work surface or in a bowl, mix flour, vegetable spread, and all other pastry ingredients, working the dough with a pastry cutter or two forks. When the crumbly dough is finally formed, reserve on the side. Add more almond milk, if necessary, to bind the dough.

To make the filling, simmer chopped apples in their own juice with the sugar and cinnamon for about 20 minutes until the apples are tender but not yet applesauce-like.

Meanwhile, roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut the squares into the desired size with the help of a pizza cutter. Spoon the apples in the middle of each square and, with the tips of your fingers, bring the corners to the center and pinch to seal and close the parcels. Brush honey on top. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is golden.