Apple Recipe Round-Up

Last week's Sweetwater Gap book club meeting allowed us to step into the orchard to sample one of fall's favorite flavors. For an easy appetizer, we piled apple slices onto a wooden tray. Chalkboard signs slipped into whole apples let guests know the varieties offered: Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious. And a bowl of caramel dip placed alongside was perfect for dipping.

We invited guests to bring a favorite fall dish.  I tossed this easy salad in a bushel basket and served dressing on the side.


Fall Apple Salad

Mixed greens
Crumbled goat cheese
Sweetened, dried cranberries with cherry juice
Sweetened, glazed pecans
Dried apple chips
Low-fat raspberry-pecan vinaigrette dressing

Line a bushel basket with a cloth napkin or a remnant of fabric. Toss greens with goat cheese, cranberries and pecans in the basket. Just before serving, add apple chips to the mix. Toss, and garnish with a few apple chips on top. Serve with vinaigrette on the side.

Hostesses Missy Jones and Teri Phillips contributed their prize-worthy apple desserts to our menu. Their recipes follow. Find author Denise Hunter's recipe for Aunt Lola's Apple Pie on her website here.



Daddy's Famous Apple Pie

For this cutie pie, Teri used stamps to punch apples and leaves from leftover pie crust dough. And she used letter stamps saved from her children's Play-Doh days to cut out the name of the book.

1 can apples or apple pie filling
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter or margarine (melt half at a time)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Flour
1 package Pillsbury All Ready Pie Crusts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 1 pie crust as instructed on package (flute edges) in pie pan. Mix in separate bowl, apples, sugar, 1/2 stick of melted margarine, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon flour. Pour mixture into uncooked pie crust. Now using the other pie crust dough, cut strips 3/4 inch wide. Place over pie in a crisscross pattern covering pie. If any dough is left over, roll in hand and pat and cut out 3 leaves and 3 balls, placing them on the edge for decoration. Pour 1/2 stick of butter over top of pie and sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon on top. Bake till brown  (about 30 to 40 minutes). Makes 1 pie.

Missy’s Apple Bread

Enjoy this moist and delicious cake for dessert at dinner, then have another slice for breakfast.

1 (21-ounce) can apple pie filling
4 cups self rising flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon apple pie spice
1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Place pie filing in a food processor and pulse four or five times until the apples are coarsely chopped. Do not puree. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and pie spice. Make a well in the middle. Add pie filling, sour cream, butter and eggs. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap to release any air bubbles. Bake about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake plate. Cool completely. Mix confectioner’s sugar, milk and vanilla to make a drizzle. Adjust milk and sugar to get desired consistency. It shouldn’t be too think. It needs to be a thinner (but not runny) drizzle. Drizzle over cake.

Please link up your favorite apple recipes below, and browse the list for fresh-picked menu ideas!

I'm linking this post to On the Menu Monday at Stone Gable.