It turns out apple sauce is really easy to make. So easy I debated not writing a post about it. Then I thought it’s simple and that’s why ya’ll should know about it.
Wash, core and peel apples
Gently boil apples in a half inch to inch of water in a large heavy bottomed pot on the stove. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking until fork tender. Fork tender is when you can stick a fork in and the chunk doesn’t break.
Puree in the pot with an immersion blender or if you must, batch through a food mill or blender.
Heat to a boil. This part was messy; lots of big plops shooting hot apple sauce all over the kitchen. Have someone watch the baby in another room. And keep a lid on the pot when your not stirring or ladling
Can or Freeze
Can - Fill sanitized jars with the hot apple sauce leaving 1/2 inch of head space. Clean the rims and put on the lids. Immediately process in a boiling water-canner for 20 minutes for pints, half pints or quarts.
Freeze - Let cool, fill freezer containers cover and pop in the freezer.
My favorite treat and activity to do with the kids during apple season. I make the caramel and the kids dip the apples. It is a great way to let them play in the kitchen. Let the caramel cool slightly before dipping apples.
Clean and wash apples. Place a skewer into each apple, trim skewers to desired length.
Make caramel.
In a large pot place rapadura and place over medium high heat.
Melt sugar until granuals are dissolved and rich dark brown color.
(Note:Rapadura is already dark in color so I cook it until all granuals dissolved)
Remove from heat, add cream and vanilla.
(Note: This will splatter, be careful)
Place pot back on stove and cook until caramel reaches 240 degrees with a candy thermometer.
Continue to stir.
Add butter and salt, stir until butter is melted.
Let the carmel cool slightly, 15-20 min, then coat apples. Place on parchement paper to finish cooling.
These are fabulous snacks for on the go and something wonderful to slip into school lunches. They have been tested on eight picky eaters who love Trader Joe’s fruit leathers and they said they liked these better!
Many flavors can be made. Our favorites are blueberry, strawberry, and raspberry. We like berries. And all you use are, well, the berries! In the fall we look forward to apple roll ups. So here’s how it works. I’ve found that filling the blender with fruit will make enough purée for three sheets on the ol’ Excalibur. Depending on how many trays your dehydrator has, make as many batches that you need to fill that thing up. If you can purée a fruit, you can leather it. Here’s what we’re making today:
Peel bananas. Remove peach pits & cut out any bruises.
Purée all ingredients in a blender. You’ll get the best results in a high speed blender like a Vita-Mix. You might need to use the agitator to push fruit down to the blades.
Cover 3 dehydrator trays with wax paper. Pour 1/3 purée over each tray. Spread it as evenly as possible over the paper so it will dry evenly.
Remember that the leathers will shrink to less than half their current sizes, so spread them to about 1/3 inch thickness, but no need to get too perfectionistic.
Dehydrate at 105º for about 6-8 hours, depending on the thickness of the leather. Check on them periodically. If they are dried for too long, they will become chips. Not long enough will leave them with soggy spots and unsafe to store at room temperature. Once they are ready, they’ll be firm enough to peel off but not at all brittle.
Roll the sheets up, one at a time, in a tight spiral.
Cut them evenly into fourths. This will make a sizable roll up.
Now roll individual leathers in plastic wrap. Store in the pantry. If they are fully dehydrated with no soggy spots, they should be good at room temperature for six months to a year.
This subtly sweet cherry clafoutis is a perfect breakfast dish with hints of maple syrup and buttermilk laced throughout the batter and beautiful sweet black cherries adding a burst of sweetness and beautiful coloring along the top of the clafoutis. This dish will please even the littlest members of your family.
Mix the flour and buttermilk in a small bowl. Cover the bowl and set in a warm place over night.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Mix the eggs, maple syrup, milk, applesauce, vanilla and sea salt in a small bowl.
Slowly incorporate the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into a greased pie pan or medium cast iron skillet.
Arrange and place the cherries in the batter. Press down gently to make sure the cherries are fully incorporated into the clafoutis.
Bake the clafoutis for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and separating from the edge of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the clafoutis.
Peaches are now in season and bountiful. Similar to the plum recipe, this one is made using some cinnamon which gives this a unique flavor profile.
Pit peaches (peels and all) and place in med. sauce pot. Add water and cook until tender. Place in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth adding honey during the process. Spread over lined dehydrator sheets and dehydrate for 6-8 hours. Cut to desired shape.
**My children loved “Fruit by the Foot.” So now I lay them on unbleached parchment, cut them into 1 in. strips, and roll them up.**
Sounds like a fancy gourmet option, but it’s really a very quick snack that I whipped up with some fresh figs. All kinds of flavors are going on here: sweet, spicy, tangy, savory and fresh. Real ingredients paired together in a delicious way.
Cut figs lengthwise and arrange in a small baking dish. Cut cheese into 16 equal squares and stuff into the middle of each fig half.
In a small bowl whisk together honey, vinegar and oil.
Drizzle the oil mixture over the figs. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Place under a broiler for 3-5 minutes or until cheese has browned slightly and is melted.
Garnish with chopped mint leaves.
* I happen to like cheddar in these, but they are also great with cream cheese, Goat cheese, blue cheese and Gruyere. Experiment with your favorites!
This time of year I purchase large quantities of fruit from my CSA. I then make lots of jam, and this. The bright red color is beautiful, and the slight tartness really is a palate pleaser.
In a 2 qt. pot, heat plums, water and honey. Once the fruit is tender puree in a blender or food mill. Spread out on lined dehydrator sheets. Dry in dehydrator for 7-8 hours. Remove and cut to desired shape.
These authentic Carribean treats are not as sweet as you might think. Many recipes call for the addition of sweeteners, but they are really quite delicious on their own. They are only slightly sweet, with a tang. We loved them. Be sure to use super ripe plantains that are covered in brown spots, but not black.
Cut the ends off of the plantains and make a slit down the length of the skin . Peel off the skin and discard. Slice the plantains into 1/3-inch thick diagonal slices.
Place the coconut oil or ghee into a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Once oil is hot, carefully put plantain slices into the skillet.
Cook the plaintains slowly until caramelized on that side, about 7 minutes. Then flip over to caramelize the other side for another 7 minutes or so.
Drain on a cloth or tea towel.
Season with salt to taste and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.
These battered apple rings are sweet and warm. A perfect way to treat your family on the weekends or guests at a brunch. Easy to make and creates a fabulous presentation.
NOTE: I core and slice the apples one at a time as I am frying each batch, this keeps the browning to a minimum.
Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet on medium-low heat. Brush on a thin layer of coconut oil or ghee. You will likely only have to do this the one time if your skillet is seasoned well. Otherwise repeat the brushing of oil between batches as necessary.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs until pale. Add melted butter (be careful that it’s no longer hot or you’ll have scrambled eggs!), honey, sifted coconut flour (this is important so there are no lumps), cinnamon and sea salt. Finally stir in enough cream or milk to create a batter that is about the consistency or heavy cream.
Drop the slices of apple into the batter and turn them over so they are lightly coated in the batter. Lift each ring and give a little shake to get off excess batter. Place in the skillet and fry for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and the apple is soft. If your batter is getting done too fast and your apples are still crunchy, reduce the heat and fry a minute or so longer.
Repeat with remaining apples until complete. Keep finished rings warm in the oven.
To serve, top with homemade cultured mascarpone cheese and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon.
NOTE: This recipe can be made dairy-free by using coconut oil in place of butter and coconut milk in place of the milk. Topping can be omitted.
These are a great quick treat that are fun to make and eat. I first had these on a collage camping trip and still make them for myself and my daughters. Wrap in foil and place in the coals of a camp fire for a special camping treat. Or for a quick snack at home they can be made in the oven. Make as many as you want at one time.
Preheat overn to 350 degrees.
Slice the banana from top to bottom through the top peel but not through the bottom side of the peel.
Spead the banana apart slightly and spead the peanut butter into the slice. You may need to spead the banana more to get all the peanut butter in.
Now take the Chocolate chips and press them into the peanut butter. Your fingers are going to get a little peanut butter on them. You don’t want them sitting right on top but pushed in a little so that they don’t melt all over.
Place in the warming oven and bake for a few minutes check every couple of minutes until the chips are melted and the banana is starting to warm.
If you are doing this at a camp fire, wrap the banana in a couple layers of foil and place in coals to warm for only a few minutes. Check on it after a couple minutes to see if the chips are melting.
Once warmed, take out of the peel, slice, and eat. Make sure to get all the chocolate and peanut butter off the peel, you don’t want to waste any of it.
A quick, nourishing, desert or side dish. These are wonderful served alone or as a topping for vanilla ice cream, or served with a drizzle of heavy cream.
In a cast iron skillet, melt 3 Tablespoons butter on medium/low heat.
While it is melting, core and slice the apples without peeling them. You can make them as thin or thick as you like, but of course, the thicker pieces will take longer to cook.
Saute the sliced apples in the melted butter until they begin to soften. Stir frequently as they cook.
Sprinkle on 2 Tablespoons of Sucanat, the cinnamon, and continue to cook and stir until they are becoming a little caramelized.
You may increase or decrease the amount of Sucanat and cinnamon to suite your taste. You can also add more butter if you wish.
This is another one of my favorite leathers. Pureed blueberries, bananas, and yogurt makes a very healthy and delicious snack. Unfortunately, this one cannot be done in the oven.
Place first 3 ingredients into a blender.
Puree until smooth.
Add honey 1 T at a time and taste for sweetness
Puree once again.
Place 1-1 1/2 C of puree on lined dehydrator sheets
Dehydrate at 135 degrees for 8-10 hours.