Cooking With Apples
from Italian Traditional Food

Cooking with apples is easy

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Discover how cooking with apples can be a pleasure. At one time apples were the great standby in the kitchen during the autumn and winter months. Baked apples with cream, apple pie with cheese, apple dumplings and apple cake - these are only a few of the traditional dishes of good home cooking. There must be more recipes using apples than any other fruit.

Today, better deliveries and rapid transport from overseas and the development of storage in the fruit and vegetable industry mean that there are plenty of varieties on sale throughout the year.

Preparation of apples

Apples fall into one of two categories: cookers and eaters. Both turn brown quickly if peeled and left exposed to air. Although soaking in salt water prevents this, it spoils their flavour so it is better to prepare all other ingredients first. The fruit, even if fully ripe, must be thoroughly cooked to prevent discoloration.

To make a syrup: apples (cookers and eaters), whole or quartered, prepare in the following way: dissolve 4 tablespoons granulated sugar in 1/2 pint water for every lb of fruit. Then boil rapidly for 2 minutes. Flavour syrup with a strip of lemon rind or a piece of vanilla pod.

To cook in syrup: only eating apples of the pippin variety can be kept whole when cooked this way. Peel and core fruit. Leave whole or quartered, according to recipe, and then put into syrup with thick part of fruit at bottom of pan. Allow syrup to boil up over fruit, then reduce heat, cover pan and leave to cook very gently until fruit looks transparent. Leave to cool in the syrup.

To make a puree of cooking apples: thinly peel, quarter and core apples. Slice into a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar per lb of apples, 1 tablespoon water and grated rind of 1/2 lemon. Cover with buttered paper and lid and cook gently to a pulp, stirring occasionally. Crush with a potato masher or beat well with a wooden spoon.

Baked apples: Choose firm, large cooking apples without blemishes (1 per person). Wipe, core them with the end of a potato peeler. In this way you can scoop out the core without making a hole right through the apple. Cut horizontally through skin round the middle of each apple.

Fill each cavity with white or soft brown sugar and sultanas, and place apples in an ovenproof dish with 3 tablespoons of water. Top each apple 1/2 oz butter and bake for about 40 minutes until tender in an oven at 375F (190C) or Gas Mark 5. The cooking time will vary with the type of apple. Baste once or twice with the juices in the pan.

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