Apples and more apples

14 years ago

With the help of DH's creative writing class we got most of the apples put up before our trip to Baltimore but still had a few left. Yesterday, we made these six little tarts. Look at how tiny the apples are! It took 14 to make the tarts. They are so good - crisp & sweet, just itty-bitty. Still have enough left for a couple batches of oatmeal/apple muffins.

We can't eat a whole pie before it goes bad. I love these new pans. Perfect size for us to split. So far, we've made these apple pies plus pumpkin, blackberry, raspberry, and tomorrow we're going to put up half a dozen chicken pies.

/tricia

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Comments (11)

centralcacyclist
14 years ago
Those are cute! I love cooking with apples, hate like the devil to peel them. How did you peel those tiny apples? The farmer's market was full of new crop apples the other day.
grainlady_ks
14 years ago
tricia - Those are lovely little tarts... I'm another fan of tart pans, especially my fluted set with removable bottoms. I also have glass pie dishes that are 5-1/2" and 7-1/2". I get 4 small servings out of a 5-1/2" dish, which usually contains a 1/2-cup of fruit (which is a serving size) per slice. The 7-1/2" dishes are perfect for making half of any of the varieties of "Impossible Pie" recipes, and I'll use the 5-1/2" dishes for 1/4 of a recipe.

barnmom- Hint: If you have one of those gadgets you push through the apple that cores and slices it, I find it's quick and easier to peel each slice instead of the whole apple - especially when working with small apples, such as Jonathan. It's also easy to cut each slice into 2-3 slices if I want them thinner.

-Grainlady
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Pick one from each tree and taste.. Sometimes apples can ripen at diferent times even on the same tree. I had a couple that were a bit dry and mealy, but most were nice and crisp and juicy. The two trees I have do ripen at slightly different times, and most are always green with just a red blush on the exposed side. I picked all from one tree and most from the other so far, and have already made a big batch of apple pie filling. The spices used were cinnimanon, nutmeg, ginger, and some cardamom. These apples remained firm even after the whole batch was brought to a boil. I use some added acid too, because I prefer a thicker filling, and had used Splenda as the sweetener. Love that hand crank apple peeler, corer, slicer. Turn the crank and your apple is all done in 3 seconds or less..
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centralcacyclist
14 years ago
I did have one of those gadgets! I did a kitchen purge and I am pretty sure it was a casualty of that event. I'll look...
centralcacyclist
14 years ago
I looked, it's still here. I must have purchased it at Pampered Chef party. I am sure I never used it but I think Alice probably has. I'll give it a try.
Lars
14 years ago
I have an apple peeler/corer/slicer from BB&B that I love and used it last week for an apple pie. It peels, cores, and slices an apple in less than a minute.

I don't have small pie pans, and so I also end up with more pie than DB and I can eat before it goes bad. A friend at work said that apple pie freezes well, and so I am going to try that with the next pie. Our tree is really loaded at the moment, but we'll juice most of the apples, just because it is faster, and we freeze the juice. Neither of us like apple jam or apple sauce, and even the juice is a bit too sweet for our tasts. I should probably mix it with tart juices, like cranberry. I would never have planted an apple tree, but it is nice to have. I have orchids, bromeliads, and hummingbird feeders hanging from it.

Lars
User
14 years ago
Beautiful little apple tarts.
centralcacyclist
14 years ago
Lars, Alice loved the bag of apples you shared with her. We munched on one each on our drive back to SLO. They are delicious apples.
sands99
14 years ago
Those tarts are *adorable*! Surprising how quickly a pile of apples become just a few servings. My new favorite apples are Honey Crisps - a little less tart than a Granny Smith a nice thin snap-to-the-bite skin and firm flesh. I love 'em!

Hey didn't someone compile a CF apple cookbook a year or two back? I had it and then my pc crashed and I hadn't transferred it to the main (backed-up) drive in the basement. Butthead...

Love to have it again especially this time of year, anyone have it by chance?
wizardnm
14 years ago
Cookalong #16 was Apples. There are some good recipes there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #16 in the FAQ
dgkritch
14 years ago
I have 2 mini pie pans (hand thrown ceramic) that are perfect for two!
I've also used the large muffin tins.

And, yes, apple pie freezes beautifully!
Surprisingly, so does cheesecake. :)

Deanna
carol_in_california
14 years ago
Do you freeze the apple pie before or after baking?

Apples and more apples

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centralcacyclist

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