Which apple, which recipe? Our primer explains all

No fruit says fall like apples. Baked into pies, pureed into sauces, sauteed with meats and stews both savory and sweet, it is one of our most comforting and versatile fruits. But which apple to use for what?

Not a simple question. During the last decade, the number of apple varieties has exploded, with heirlooms and “club” varieties — apples essentially licensed to only a specific group of growers and marketers — tumbling into the bins at farm stands and supermarkets. And apple taste, texture, acidity, sweetness and response to being cooked can vary dramatically from one variety to another.

Just because you like to bite into a big juicy Fuji doesn’t mean it’s the best apple for your mom’s famous pie. And though McIntosh make great applesauce, you might not want to use them in a salad. With Americans consuming roughly 2.4 million tons of apples a year — or about 15 pounds per person, according to Agriculture Department figures — a primer on which apples to use when and how seemed just right for the season.

— BAKING APPLES

A good baking apple holds its shape when cooked in a pie, tart, cake or other high-heat dish. But even among those sturdy breeds, a wide variety of tastes, textures and tartness will influence your final product.

The classic choice is the puckery Granny Smith. But for big, bold flavors in your apple pie, go for a sweet-tart Jazz or a pear-scented Pink Lady, also known as a Cripps Pink, says Amy Traverso, author of “The Apple Lover’s Cookbook” (Norton, 2011). “I think of them as the big California cabernets of the apple world,” she says.

Flowery Galas and honey-sweet Fujis have a perfect medium firmness for cakes and muffins, Traverso says, allowing them to blend into softer baked goods better than denser apples, which are more suited to pies.

And while the price tag might make you think twice about using heirlooms for cooking, Traverso says that’s what many of these varieties were actually made for. “I would specifically cook with a lot of the heirlooms,” she says. “Their flavor blooms when they’re heated.”

Of those, Ashmead’s Kernel is a tart, juicy apple that gets sweeter with heat. The rough-skinned Roxbury Russet is way too sour to eat raw, she says, but shines when cooked. And the Calville Blanc d’Hiver, a very firm, citrusy French apple that dates back to the late 16th century, is the classic apple for making tarte tatin.

“In British and French cooking and even American, there are a lot of recipes based on these old varieties,” Traverso says. “So there’s something really special about making those recipes with those apples.”

— APPLESAUCE AND PUREE

For sauces and other purees, go to the opposite end of the spectrum. The spicy, supple McIntosh will melt like ice cream when baked, but creates a smooth, flavorful applesauce. The soft, tangy Jonathan and the sweet, crisp Empire will also deliver a flavorful puree. The Cox’s Orange Pippin, Traverso says, is a wonderful juicy heirloom for sauce.

Apples also pair beautifully with vegetables such as parsnips, carrots, cauliflower and sweet potatoes, adding complexity and acid to delicate purees that make an inventive alternative to mashed potatoes.

— SALADS

Red Delicious, the classic apple-for-the-teacher, has a yielding texture and balanced sweetness that makes it a perfect salad apple, says Rebecca Lyons, international marketing director for the Washington State Apple Commission. For something that will stay bright white longer, says Traverso, go for an Empire or a Courtland, with its thin skin and mild taste.

“Any apple with a decent sweet-tart balance will be good in a salad,” Traverso says, “but they look beautiful when they don’t brown.”

— MEAT DISHES

Back to the idea of heat-tolerant fruit. But here the apple you choose will depend on the characteristics of the meat you’re cooking. Pork and duck both do well with slightly sweet apples that also have good acid. “You could go with any of the cooking apples,” Lyons says, but sweet, crisp Golden Delicious, tarter Jonagold, or the big, exuberant Pink Lady work particularly well.

For beef, Traverso says, a very tart apple like a Granny Smith works best.

— SNACKING

Red Delicious and its yellow namesake, Golden Delicious, are the classic snacking apples with a mild flavor and thin skin. But when you want a great big apply apple, Traverso says, sink your teeth into Honey Crisp, one of the juiciest, crunchiest apples around. Tangy sweet Jonagolds — which mix the tartness of Jonathan and the gentle flavor of the Golden Delicious — offer layers of flavor.

Braeburns and Galas give good crunch with delicate aromas, Lyons says, and a nice balance of sweetness and acid. For nature’s equivalent of a candy bar, grab a Fuji. “If you like sweets, the Fuji is the best,” says Lyons.

— ALL-PURPOSE

The Golden Delicious may be the original all-purpose apple. With a firm texture that holds up to baking and a mild flavor and sweetness, it does well in pies and tarts, as well as alongside your peanut butter. Ashmead’s Kernel, a great baking apple, also has a juiciness that earns its popularity with cider makers and a mild acidity that makes it wonderful to bite into.

“When it’s ripe and fresh to me it tastes like Champagne with honey stirred in,” Traverso says.

Honey Crisp, with its big, juicy bite, makes a great snack and a fabulous cider. Its firm texture also gives it integrity in a pie. Though they’re great for cooking, they can also be expensive, making them best for enjoying raw.

— PAIRINGS

With all pairings, acidity is the element to keep in mind. For richer desserts — pies, tarts, buttery cakes — Traverso says go with more acidic apples. For more delicate sweets, go with a sweeter apple.

With cheese — a classic apple pairing — join strong cheeses, such as Parmesan, cheddar and even Roquefort, with big acid and big sweetness, such as Jazz or Honey Crisp. For softer, milder cheeses, such as Camembert or brie, go with the more delicate Fuji or Gala.

“As long as you get the acidity right, you’ll have a successful sweet or savory item,” Traverso says.

If you like sugar and spice, try pairing a Granny Smith with chili powder, salt and a squeeze of lime. Ten years ago the Washington State Apple Commission began marketing this combination in Mexico — a take on a traditional preparation of jicama, Lyons says — and sales of Granny Smiths tripled.

Classic recipe from our archives

Easy Apple Pastries

Hands on: 20 minutes Total time: 55 minutes Serves: 6

These individual tarts are easy, elegant and delicious. The recipe is adapted very slightly from one that appeared in Bon Appetit in March 2004.

6 frozen puff pastry shells, thawed

2 medium apples, peeled, quartered, cored and very thinly sliced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup apricot jam, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the shells on the parchment paper, several inches apart. Using a rolling pin, in two or three strokes, roll the shells to about 6 inches in diameter. With the tines of fork, pierce the center of each shell 4 or 5 times. Arrange as many apple slices as you can in the center of each shell, overlapping apple slices but leaving the border clear. Brush the apples with melted butter.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar mixture. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned. Gently brush the melted jam over the apples. Return the pastries to the oven and bake 2 to 3 minutes longer. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Per serving: 378 calories (percent of calories from fat, 52), 4 grams protein, 43 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 22 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 10 milligrams cholesterol, 125 milligrams sodium.

APPLE & FENNEL SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE

Serves: 5 / Preparation time: 15 minutes / Total time: 30 minutes

Apples and blue cheese are a heavenly match in this fennel and apple salad with a tangy cider-vinegar dressing.

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 large crisp, sweet apple, such as Honeycrisp, thinly sliced

1 medium fennel bulb, quartered and thinly sliced, fronds reserved

6 cups torn butterhead lettuce

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

Whisk oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add apple and fennel and toss to coat. Chop ¼ cup of the fennel fronds and add to the bowl along with lettuce and blue cheese; gently toss.

From Eating Well Magazine, September-October 2012 issue.

Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

174 calories (73 percent from fat), 14 grams fat (3 grams sat. fat), 11 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 269 mg sodium, 7 mg cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.

—-

BC-US—Food-Apple Rice Pudding,338

Using a risotto technique for a fall rice pudding

AP Photo NYLS420, NYLS419

%reldate(2012-09-05T15:05:48 Eds: With AP Photos.

By ALISON LADMAN

For The Associated Press

There’s something particularly autumnal about puddings. Surely, it has something to do with cravings for all things rich and creamy as the weather cools.

So we created this deliciously rich and creamy rice pudding just for fall, a time when it can easily show off the finest fruit of the season — apples. Of course, the spices that work so well with apples also are delicious with another of fall’s finest, pears.

Most rice puddings are made by slowly simmering starchy white rice in milk, sometimes on the stovetop, sometimes in the oven. But we decided to use a technique more common to risotto. The milk is added more slowly to the rice and cooked into it before more is added. Frequent stirring during this process also helps draw out more of the rice’s starch, creating a thicker, creamier pudding.

——

—

CARAMELIZED APPLE GINGER RICE PUDDING

Start to finish: 1 hour

Servings: 6

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup arborio rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup diced candied ginger

4 cups milk, divided

In a medium saucepan over medium-high, melt the butter. Add the apples and cinnamon and saute until browned and caramelized, about 7 minutes.

Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the salt, sugar, ginger and 1 cup of the milk. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until almost all of the milk has been absorbed. Add another cup of milk and repeat with the stirring and cooking until almost entirely absorbed. Repeat with the remaining milk, 1 cup at a time, or until the rice is cooked through and the mixture is creamy.

Serve warm and, if desired, topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

Nutrition information per serving: 330 calories; 70 calories from fat (21 percent of total calories); 8 g fat (4.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 25 mg cholesterol; 60 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 27 g sugar; 9 g protein; 170 mg sodium.