All You Should Know About Fall's Favorite Harvest Fruit!

by Mike's Furniture

Be it the shiny apple Mom routinely packed in your lunch box or fond memories of your great aunt’s famous apple pie, fall’s favorite fruit is a slice of nostalgia.

Simply delicious, apples offer a golden opportunity for culinary magic. Can you believe there are more than 7,500 apple varieties worldwide? Talk about mass appeal. With their cornucopia of color—from ruby red and mellow yellow to lime green—apples tempt with various tastes and textures, from crisp and tart, to subtle and sweet.

 Eye the Right Apple

Some apples are perfectly yummy right off the tree. Others hold up wonderfully in pies, crisps and baked goodies. A slice of advice from the experts:

Best for eating out of hand: Braeburn, Cameo, Cortland, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, McIntosh.

Best for apple pies, crisps, etc: Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Jonathan, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Newtown Pippin, Winesap

Tip: Pies and crisps, especially, call for sweet-tart, firmer apples that hold their shape and flavor in the oven. To mellow a tarter apple (e.g., Granny Smiths), try more than one apple variety in your pie.

Best for caramel apples: Tart Granny Smith apples have become the standard since they counter sweet caramel. Some folks find them a little too sour. Try the same apples recommended for pies for your caramel apples

Frown on Brown Apples 

Yes it’s true, brushing on lemon juice does keep sliced apples from browning, as do other citrus fruits such as lime, orange and pineapple. To avoid any hint of citrus taste, soak apple slices in apple juice until ready to serve. Another option: Mix two tablespoons honey and one cup water. Soak apple slices in mixture for 30 seconds.

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Great Apple Recipes For This Fall

By Mike's Furniture

What a great season that is the fall! When the leaves turn into beautiful warm colors, it’s time for the last harvests and delicious fruits and veggies are ready to be picked. One of the most popular among them is the apple. It is highly unlikely that someone doesn’t like this crispy fruit! That’s why we propose 3 delicious apple recipes:

Old Fashioned Apple Pie:

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

Pie Dough

12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

¾ cup of sugar (plus additional for pie top)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon

½ teaspoon of nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 large egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly flour the working surface.

Roll out pie dough into two 1/8-inch-thick circles (diameter should be slightly larger than that of an 11-inch plate).

Press one pastry circle into the pie plate. Place the other circle on waxed paper, and cover with plastic wrap. Put all pastry in the fridge until firm (about 30 minutes).

In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour.

Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining pastry circle.

Cut several steam vents (about 3 little holes) across top.

Seal by crimping edges as desired.

Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling (about 1 hour).

Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Apple Chips:

INGREDIENTS

4 Apples

2 tablespoons of sugar

½ tablespoon of Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Slice apples into ⅙" approximately (use a mandolin for better result).

Place apple slices in a single layer on a sheet pan fitted with parchment paper.

Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Bake in the oven for 1½ hours.

Flip them over to make the other side crispy as well.

Bake for 1 more hour

Turn oven off and leave the apple slices inside for a few more hours or overnight

When they are ready, if you didn’t eat them all, place the slices in a zip top bag

Raisin bread and apple grilled-cheese:

INGREDIENTS

½ cup of cream cheese

2 teaspoons of honey

4 tablespoons (½ stick) of butter (room temperature)

8 slices cinnamon raisin bread

1 Granny Smith or other firm apple, cored and thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons of brown sugar

In a small bowl, whip the cheese and honey together until it’s well combined and fluffy.

Heat the panini-press to medium-high heat.

Spread butter on two slices of bread to flavor the outside of the sandwich.

Flip over both slices of bread and spread 1 tablespoon sweetened cheese on each.

Top one slice of bread with a layer of apples and close the sandwich with the other slice, buttered side up. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top.

Grill two sandwiches at a time, with the lid closed, until the fillings are warmed and the bread is toasted, with a sweet crust (about 3 to 5 minutes).

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Fruits Everywhere!

by Mike's Furniture

Sometimes we have a lack of ideas on how to eat healthy. Then, we feel guilty because we know that it is important to eat well. If you are looking for inspiration to win this battle, here are some tips and ideas for you:

1- Bet on color

Buy fruits that have an attractive look; strawberries, red or green apples, oranges, watermelon, etc. The vivid colors will catch your attention and stimulate your appetite just because they seem more delicious than neutral ones.

2- Leave a fruit basket on the table

It is known; there are more chances to eat fruit if we have them right under our noses; one of the reasons for that phenomenon is the point we raised just above. We usually put fruit in a drawer in the refrigerator and when we are hungry, we take a quick look in the fridge to find something attractive for our stomach. Many times, we peek inside the refrigerator without actually opening any drawers or moving anything around to see what may be hiding way behind. Having the fruit basket at hand will help to avoid any wasting!

3- Add fruit to your decor

In restaurants, we often see paintings or big close-up pictures of fruit on the wall. This is not just to add color to their decor; this is another way to whet people’s appetite! In addition, it’s quite beautiful in a kitchen and a diningroom.

4- Keep it ready to eat

When you come back from the grocery store with all these delicious fruit, take a few minutes to wash them and get them ready to be eaten (cut them into pieces if need to be); sometimes we are too lazy to take the time to wash or cut fruit just before eating them. Now, there are no more excuses, they’ll be ready!

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