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Savory Ways To Eat Fall Apples

Cool breezes swirl around you. Fallen leaves crunch under your feet. The scents of cinnamon and nutmeg tickle your nose. Nothing says autumn quite like an apple that’s sweet, crisp, tart, and juicy.

Varieties

There are more than 2,500 kinds of apples grown in the United States. While apples are commonly eaten out of hand, many varieties are great cooking fruit. Their culinary versatility shows in many ways.

Choosing Apples

When buying apples, choose those without any bruises or soft, mushy spots. They should be firm for their specific variety (a McIntosh will not be as firm as a Granny Smith). Look for fruit with shiny skin, dull skin hints at a lack of crispness and flavor.

Storage

Apples quickly lose their crispness at room temperature. To keep apples in the fridge, place them in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper. To keep apples for an extended period of time, wrap each one in a non-colored ink newspaper and then store it in a dark, cool place like the cellar or the garage.

If you’re slicing apples and don’t want the exposed pieces to turn brown, dunk the slices in a bowl of three parts water to one-part lemon juice.

Flavor and Texture

In my opinion, the best eating apple is the Honeycrisp. This apple has exceptionally crisp, juicy, sweet-as-honey flesh with just a hint of tartness. I prefer Granny Smith, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, and Pink Lady (Cripps Pink) for cooking and baking. When baking with apples, you need to keep in mind that texture is really important. Good baking apples have a balance of intense sweet-tart flavor and will not fall apart when cooked. They should hold their shape and not turn into mush – unless you are making applesauce!

Cooking with Apples

When it comes to cooking, apples are mostly closely associated with desserts like pies and crisps. However, their sweet-tart flavor also lends itself to savory dishes. One traditional pairing is apples with pork. The fruit’s sweetness complements the meat’s savory flavor.

Get Creative

Salads

Use apples to add a fall spin to your favorite salads. Crisp apples add taste and texture to a salad and can pull double-duty in the salad dressing as well. Roasted apples and cheddar cheese turn an ordinary mixed green salad into something extra special. Apples pair really well with cabbage. Toss slices of crisp, tart apples into your slaws for flavor and crunch.

Sandwiches

Apples add texture and complexity to sandwiches. Shake up your usual lunch routine with a turkey, apple, and bacon sandwich – what a delicious combination! Add apple slices to your favorite panini, such as ham and brie with honey mustard. Try a fun take on traditional tuna salad with cukes and crunchy apples. Make an apple, sauerkraut, and cheddar cheese quesadilla. The sweet-tartness of the apple, the creaminess of the cheese, and the bite of the sauerkraut work together beautifully in this easy hot sandwich. This combination may seem unusual – until you try it!

Smoothies

When you put “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” together with “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” you just know that having apples for breakfast is a healthy way to start your day. Put apples in your smoothies.

Soup

Whip up a simmering bowl of sweet potato and apple soup or curried pumpkin soup flavored with applesauce.

One Pot Meals

Busy fall days call for comforting, one-pot meals. Apples can mingle with pork, vegetables, herbs, apple cider, and cream in a filling dish. Try roasting sausages with apples and parsnips for an easy and delicious weeknight recipe cooked on a sheet pan.

Stuffed Apples

Try stuffing apples with savory fillings, like ground turkey and sage, for a simple meal.

The Duo

The dynamic duo of apple and pork is wonderful. A pork-and-apple dish is the quintessential fall supper. The smell of roasted meat, sweet apples, and spices will make tummies rumble.

Salsa

Glam up tonight’s dinner with tart apples used to make a sweet and spicy apple salsa that is perfect alongside chili-rubbed pork tenderloin.

Fancy Fall Dinner

For an autumn spin on chicken, pair it with hearty barley, diced dried fruit, and the warm flavors of cinnamon and allspice. For a fancy fall dinner, consider a roasted poultry, potatoes, and apples dish. It’s the perfect dinner for a chilly fall night.

Frittata

Onions and apples balance each other beautifully in an elegant frittata. Goat cheese offers the dish its creamy consistency, while the addition of herbs infuses it with a delightful flavor.

Satisfying Dishes

Need a side dish for roast chicken or turkey? Apples add a sweet crunch to the stuffing for a delicious accompaniment. Roasted Brussels sprouts, crispy bacon, and apples come together to create a simple, satisfying side dish. Apple brown sugar baked beans will have everyone asking for seconds. Fans of sweet-meets-savory side dishes will dig a cabbage recipe featuring apples, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar. For a hint of spice, add a pinch of ginger. Yum!

Cheesy Apple Bread

Apple and cheddar join forces in a quick but delicious cheesy apple bread. It’s a perfectly mild accompaniment to an autumn meal. Best of all, a full loaf can be whipped up in just over an hour.

Nutritional Benefits

All apples are not created equal – at least when it comes to cooking vs. eating them fresh. However, regardless of variety, they’re all good for you. Apples are a good source of soluble fiber, potassium, and folic acid.

Try some of these delicious savory apple dishes for lunch or dinner, and enjoy! Celebrate the arrival of fall on your dinner plate.

Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator

Sources:

 

Red, yellow and green apple

Contact Our Expert!

Email: nfs@uwyo.edu

Extension Educator:
Vicki Hayman – (307) 746-3531

University of Wyoming Extension

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Issued in furtherance of extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Kelly Crane, Director, University of Wyoming Extension, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming Extension, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071.

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