Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Salad:

Red leaf lettuce (or mixed greens from the salad section of the grocery store), washed and torn into bite sized pieces

Baby spinach, washed and torn into bite sized pieces

1 to 2 large firm apples, cut up into bite sized pieces (I used a Cortland apple—one of those delicious New York cultivars)

1 to 2 ribs of celery, chopped

1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

red or green onion to taste

crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Tear up enough greens to fill a large salad bowl with a 50/50 mix of the lettuce and spinach. Toss in the remaining ingredients except goat cheese and refrigerate until serving time. Dress the salad with Maple Vinaigrette dressing right before serving and garnish with the goat cheese.

Maple Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Individual Apple Tarts

These are simple and delicious. I made a few changes to the original recipe (found here).

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed slowly in the refrigerator

4-5 Golden Delicious apples

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter, cut into 24 cubes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (if baking immediately). Unfold sheet of puff pastry dough and roll out on a floured surface until quite thin (less than 1/8”). Use a biscuit cutter or other round cutter to cut out about one dozen 3” circles (you may have to kind of recut the shape with a knife in some places if it doesn’t cut through all the way). Place dough circles on a parchment lined cookie sheet to chill while you prepare the apples. Peel, core and slice the apples as thin as you can. A mandolin works well for this part but I just used my slicing blade on my food processor (not as pretty and even but just as tasty).

Assembly: Place a cube of butter and a little of the cinnamon sugar (about 1/2 tsp) in the center of each pastry round. Pile apple slices up in circles on the piece of dough placing largest apple pieces on the bottom and building up to about 2 or 3 inches tall. Place another cube of butter on top and sprinkle all liberally with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Now you can either freeze them to be baked later or bake them for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

*Personal notes: Make sure your oven rack is in the middle of the oven. If it is too close to the bottom the sugar burns. Also, you can bake these and then freeze them. Thaw and eat or thaw and heat if you want that warm-apple-pie-experience.

Apple Dumplings

I can't believe I forgot about this recipe.  DIVINE.  Heaven wrapped up in a pillowy crust.  The Pioneer Woman is a genius.
 


2 whole Granny Smith Apples (I use whatever firm apple I have on hand)
2 cans (8 oz. Cans) crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1-½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon, to taste
1 can (12 oz.) Mountain Dew soda

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

WARNING: Prepare this dish at your own risk. It is beyond imaginable.

Apple Crisp

Autumn in NY + fresh picked apples = heaven.

6-8 c. apples, peeled and sliced
3 Tbl. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

2 c. oatmeal (I prefer old-fashioned rather than instant)
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 c. butter, melted
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving


Combine apples, 3 Tbl. sugar, and 1 tsp. of cinnamon in a bowl.  Transfer to a greased baking dish (this amount usually fits perfectly in my 7 x 11 pan).  Thoroughly combine remaining ingredients (using your hands if necessary) and crumble over the top the of the apples.  Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, or until the apples mixture starts bubbling.  Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream (or cold/reheated for breakfast the next morning :).