This time of year, no matter what grocery store you go into, you're likely to find bins, boxes and crates full of apples all over the produce section. There may be no more versatile fruit on the planet, or one that comes in such a mindbending number of varieties.
We're all familiar with "big red," the softball-sized deep red McIntosh that we had to lever out of our Christmas stockings to get at the candy. The Golden Delicious, with its sugar content high enough to wire out a busload of third-graders, is another all-time favorite, as is the Granny Smith, with a tart bite that will make you pucker your whole face up even as you enjoy its taste.
However, with improved shipping methods and the constant evolution of the American palate, new and different varieties are showing up in your stores all the time. For those of us who live in warmer climes, where apples do not grow as abundantly, now is the time to go a-hunting to the gourmet markets and even the health food shops for exotic apples new to our taste buds.
Let's look at a few of the less-well-known varieties. You might find something worth seeking out!
Macoun: This is a very small apple, hardly larger than a plum. It's about a four-biter, with a pure white flesh that simply melts in your mouth. It's definitely more on the sweet than tart side of the scale, but not cloyingly so. This would be a perfect lunchtime, after-sandwich apple.
Pink Lady: I've had a bit of trouble finding this one lately, which I hope is only temporary, because it's one of my favorites. It's medium-sized, with a slightly bumpy, red-to-gold skin. It is a wonderfully balanced apple, with a very thin skin that never sticks in your teeth and a firm, VERY juicy flesh. Have a napkin handy when you eat this one.
Honeycrisp: If you like your apples sweet, the name of this one alone will tell you you're in the right neighborhood. One of its genetic parents is the Macoun, which is where the meltaway flesh comes in. This apple might just make your kids forget such less-healthful sweet treats as hard candy and soda pop.
Braeburn: Much like the people of its New Zealand home, this fruit is a great combination of sweet and tart. It stores very well, and is ranked among the top 10 apple varieties by the folks who do such ratings. It's a good general-use apple, at home in the lunchbox or under the pie crust.
Empire: A cross between a Red Delicious and a McIntosh, this one's your first choice for fall baking and pie-making. It also makes a VERY groovy caramel apple.
Speaking of caramel apples, the folks at Michigan Apples provide the following recipe, which is best made with Michigan's own Empire apples.
3 c. sliced, peeled Michigan Apples
1 ½ c. peeled, baby carrots
½ c. water
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. margarine
½ c. firmly packed brown sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. dried tart cherries
Place apples, carrots, water and salt in 3-quart saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until water starts to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Drain.
Add remaining ingredients, tossing gently until combined. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes longer or until sugar is dissolved and apples are glazed. Serve hot with turkey or pork. Yield: 6 servings.
One thing I'm always up for is chips and salsa, so when Steven from Salsa de Rosa asked if he could send me some to test out, I was more than enthusiastic about the prospect.
Salsa de Rosa is just the sort of food business that I love to tell you readers about. It's a small, family-run operation, using recipes created by the proprietors (in this case, Rosemarie "Rosa" Bryar), who have a real yen to succeed and a true devotion to what they're making. The Internet has made a lot of this possible.
Salsa de Rosa is new to the online food world, but they've been delighting the Pacific Northwest for several years with their line of fresh salsas. Now, from the comfort of your desk chair, you can visit their online store and get your fill of their products.
I received two containers of salsa, one mild and one hot. Now, the hot was not as fiery as you might come to expect. This has been a "mild" year for the jalapeño crop, according to Steven. However, the incredible freshness of the ingredients and the perfectly chunky texture more than compensated for any lack of heat. During my first test, the standard "chips and salsa snack" round, I delighted in a chip-load of the hot variety with a shot of Tabasco on top. It was salsa nirvana.
About half of each flavor was consumed in our first round, and I decided to get creative with the rest. This was not your "slop it on scrambled eggs" sort of product, although I'm sure it would be tasty that way. I wanted to put some heat to the mild version and really wake up all those great fresh herbs and veggies.
Now, you salsa purists may want to avert your eyes, but my chosen venue for the test was to spoon the mild salsa over the top of a meat loaf made with two pounds of American Grass-Fed Beef's ground beef and one pound of country pork sausage.
The aroma while the meat loaf was cooking was incredible. I could smell all the herbs in the salsa, the onions, the tomatoes ... it was all I could do to keep from dragging it out of the oven half-cooked and diving in face-first. It was worth the wait, however. I've not had a finer meat loaf. Ever. It didn't need any gravy, any ketchup or any steak sauce. It was perfect.
I went decadent with the rest of the hot salsa, mixing it with a can of fancy white crab meat and a can of cocktail shrimp, with a shot of fresh lemon juice. I put the mixture back in the refrigerator for two hours to let the flavors blend, then served it with go-alongs like smoked oysters and pickled garlic cloves. I could have eaten a pound. I love any simple recipe that comes out tasting like it took FAR more effort than it actually did, and this one ranks in my top 10 on that list.
LATE-BREAKING NEWS! Salsa De Rosa made a highly respectable showing at the Scovie Awards, the Oscars of the hot sauce set: their mild/medium salsa too third place in its category, and the "extreme heat" flavor placed second! The field is huge at this show, and the competition is fierce.
Got a comment? Question? Recipe to share? Drop me a line anytime!
Copyright 2003 by WISN.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.