blue sky and apples

photo by kristen bach

apple picking

Every fall our family heads North to go apple picking.  We try to choose a different orchard and location each year.  This year we went to an apple area outside of Asheville, NC.

Naturally the next couple of weeks are filled with lots of apple eating and baking.  stay tuned for some apple recipes!!

photos and words by kristen bach

easy apple pie

the other day we were craving an apple dessert.  i didn't have much time and decided to whip up this very simple apple crumble

1 pie crust
6 fresh apples, diced, peeled, and cored
sprinkling of cinnamon
caramel sauce
1/2 cup salted butter
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup salted and roasted pecans
 
-pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
-add apples to a pie pan (no crust yet) and sprinkle and toss with cinnamon
-in a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat
-add the flour
-add sugars
-add water and heat until bubbling
-simmer for 2 minutes
-roll out the pie crust and cut into geometric shapes, create a pattern
-sprinkle top with pecans and drizzle caramel sauce on top
-sprinkle with sea salt
-bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes and at 350 for 25 minutes or until crust is browned
-it's best served with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
 

photographs and recipe by kristen bach

prepping apples

photograph by rinne allen

spanish apple and rice salad

when i was in high school, i lived in barcelona for a summer.  my host family would make this salad every week. there was so much that i loved about the spanish cuisine, but this salad was my favorite and i still to this day make it often. it is best when you use freshly picked apples which makes it a perfect fall salad!

ingredients

1 1/2 cup rice, cooked
3 apples, a tart variety is best(I used winesap's but granny smith are also great)
1/2 purple onion, diced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp salt (or more or less to taste)
1 tsp cumin

directions
-make the rice and let it cool for about 30-45 minutes
-finely dice the purple onions
-dice the apples, leaving the skins on for texture and color
-toss the apples, onions, and raisins with the salt and cumin
-when the rice is cool, fold in the fruit mixture
-serve chilled

photos and recipe by kristen bach

apples

photo by kristen bach

apple pickin'

as i mentioned in my monday post we just headed north for the weekend to pick apples.  we first visited georgia's apple country while we were expecting our daughter, maypop.  each season since then we have made it a family tradition to pick apples and all of the yummy goodness that comes along.  here are some moments from our fun trip!

photos and words by kristen bach

apple stacks

this weekend we headed up to north georgia for a day of apple picking.  this has become an annual tradition for us that we look forward to every fall.  i have been seeing these recipes for apple pull apart bread and wanted to try my hand at one.  i followed this basic dough recipe and made some modifications to the filling.  my daughter enjoyed helping me out with this one.....and we got to practice some patience with the two risings.  this bread took us almost all day from start to finish but the apples and cinnamon made our house smell like fall- it was worth the wait!

making the dough (the dough recipe is from the blog half baked)

ingredients

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup lukewarm milk

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast   

directions

-whisk together the butter, milk, water, eggs, and vanilla extract.

-in the bowl mixer, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast, then add the wet ingredients.

-using the dough hook attachment mix and knead, until the dough is smooth. the dough will be quite soft. if it seems too dry add a little water, if it seems too sticky add just a little flour, up to a 1/4 cup.

-place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 

now for the rest of the recipe with my modifications 

ingredients for filling

4-5 fresh apples, cored and thinly sliced as shown in the picture

3 tbsp cup unsalted butter, browned

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 Tbsp cinnamon

a sprinkle of salt ingredients for glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp of milk or lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla and

a sprinkle of salt

directions for stacks

-on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a large square  about 24 inches by 24 inches.  add more flour if dough begins to stick

-with a pastry brush, brush the browned butter onto the dough

-do the same with the maple syrup

-sprinkle the cinnamon and salt evenly over the entire square

-using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into even squares or rectangles,  3 inch squares work great

-line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

-make the stacks by carefully putting a piece of dough then a slice of apple, and continue so you have DOUGH-APPLE-DOUG-HAPPLE-DOUGH-APPLE-DOUGH

-place in a warm place for an hour or until the dough rises for a second time

-pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

-after rising is complete bake for 20- 30 minutes or until brown

-meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar, milk or lemon juice, vanilla, and salt

-let the stacks cool for 15 minutes before drizzling the glaze over them

-enjoy these sweet fall treats!  

****note, if you want to make a pull apart bread verses the stacks follow the same instructions but stack vertically in a greased bread pan and increase baking time to 40-50 minutes

photos by kristen bach recipe by half baked blog and modified by kristen bach

Spiced Apple Bread

It's apple season here in Georgia!   We picked some fresh ones last week and have been munching on them and cooking up some good apple treats.  Yesterday morning I made this sweet apple bread with honey from the farmers market and Fresh apples from the mountains. 

Spiced Apple Bread

ingredients

pre- heat oven to 350 degrees

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon all spice

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil

1/3 cup apple sauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 1/2 cups peeled and chopped apples

directions

-in a medium sized bowl mix all of the dry ingredients

-in another bowl, beat together:  eggs, vanilla, honey, brown sugar, apple sauce, oil

-gently stir in the flour mixture and stir until mixed

-fold in the apples

-pour into a greased bread pan

-sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon

-cook at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes