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Apples, apples, apples! Nothing beats the taste of fresh-from-the-orchard apple––crisp, juicy and a mouth-watering mixture of sweet and tart. October is the month to look for apples at the peak of their flavor. Ripeness and freshness is what to look for when choosing apples. Smell them––the aroma should be sweet and flowery. The skin should show no bruises or soft spots. Hold the apple to your ear, then rap it with your knuckles. It should sound hollow, but not dull. (I can see it now––“What is she doing with an apple in her ear? Surely not listening to the ocean sounds!”) Another reason to always wash fruit or veggies before eating them.

A lot is written about cooking and eating apples. Almost any apple that’s good enough to eat is good enough to cook, perhaps with the exception of the Red Delicious, which is strictly an eating apple, and the Rome Beauty, which is best for baking. The McIntosh is a bit unpredictable for cooking because it can puff up and then collapse into a puree, but that makes it excellent for applesauce. Keep apples in a plastic bag in the coolest part of the fridge and wash them only when you’re ready to use them.

I have so many apple recipes to share with you, so get ready for a couple weeks of apple recipes, starting now.

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If you are a diabetic or do not like to use a lot of real sugar when cooking or baking with apples, try this “back-of-the-box” recipe for apple pie using Splenda, a sugar substitute I use when I know I’m going to be serving it to people who I know are diabetic.

SPLENDA-ID APPLE PIE

9-inch double pie crust (bought or homemade)

7 c. cored, peeled, thinly sliced baking apples (Haralson, Greening, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Cortland, Braeburn––save the list of pie apples to use in the future, good for apple crisp, too)

1 c. splenda granular no calorie sweetener

3 T. cornstarch

3/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg (optional)

1/4 t. salt (optional)

Line a 9-inch pie pan with one crust.

Slice apples into a large bowl.

In another bowl combine next five ingredients; sprinkle mixture over apples and toss to coat. Turn mixture into pie crust.

Put second crust over filling. Seal edges, trim and crimp. Make 4-5 small slits in top crust (between the edge and top of pie). Brush with milk and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Cover edges of pie with strips of foil to prevent over-browning. Remove foil last 10 minutes of baking time. Bake at 425 degrees 45-50 minutes. If top gets too brown before it’s done, lay a piece of foil loosely over top. Serves 6-8.

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This bread pudding recipe has to sit for an hour before baking, so think ahead a bit.

APPLE-CINNAMON BREAD PUDDING

3 Rome Beauty apples, peeled, cored, sliced thin

1 T. flour

1-1 lb. loaf cinnamon swirl or cinnamon raisin bread

6 eggs

1-3/4 c. milk

1/2 c. bottled caramel sauce (like ice cream topping), plus more to drizzle after baking

1/3 c. plus 2 T. sugar

1/4 t. salt

ice cream

Toss apple slices with flour in a medium bowl.

Cut slices of bread in half diagonally to form triangles.

Layer half of the bread and half of the apple slices, overlapping, in bottom of a 2-1/2 qt. shallow baking dish (9x13), sprayed with cooking spray.

In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, caramel, 1/3 c. sugar and salt.

Pour half over bread mixture; repeat layering, using rest of bread and apples. Pour rest of egg mixture over all; cover dish with plastic wrap. Put in fridge to “soak” 45-60 minutes.

Unwrap dish; sprinkle with 2 T. sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, uncovered. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes more or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and drizzle caramel sauce back and forth over top; let cool on rack 15 minutes.

Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream on top or serve as is. Ice cream really makes it yummy. Serves 9.

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Company for lunch? Serve this apple salad.

APPLE SEAFOOD SALAD

one 6-1/2 oz. can crabmeat, drained

1 c. small cooked shrimp or medium shrimp cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1-1/2 c. skin-on diced apples (Red Delicious, Regent, Fuji)

1/3 c. slivered toasted almonds

1/4 c. plus 2 T. mayo

1/4 c. plus 2 T. sour cream

1/8 t. white pepper

salad greens (Romaine is nice.)

Flake crab meat. Combine with rest of ingredients (except lettuce); toss gently.

Serve on salad greens. Serves 4.

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Or, you might want to serve this salad with ham and cheese slices.

APPLE SPINACH SALAD

1-1/2 c. unpeeled salad apples (Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Gala, Fiji)

8 pitted dates, sliced 1/4-inch thick or 1/3 c. raisins (dates give it a distinct flavor)

1-12 oz. package baby spinach leaves, washed, dried on paper toweling or a turkish towel

1/2 c. walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

DRESSING

3 T. apple cider vinegar

1/3 c. canola or vegetable oil

1/4 t. sugar

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Combine first three ingredients in bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in jar with lid and shake well. Drizzle over apple mixture, tossing to coat. Just before serving, sprinkle with nuts. Serves 6.

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Are you cooking for one and could use a nutritious dessert after supper? This is easy, done in the microwave.

MICROWAVE BAKED APPLE

1 medium baking apple (Rome Beauty, Honeycrisp or Jonagold)

1 T. brown sugar

1-1/2 t. butter or margarine

cinnamon

Core apple (make a 1-inch slice around apple 1-inch from top). Blend sugar and butter together. Fill center of apple; sprinkle with a little cinnamon. Set apple in a glass sauce dish. Microwave on high, covered (can use plastic wrap - make a couple holes in wrap after apple is covered) for 2-1/2 minutes rotating 1/4 turn halfway through cooking if you don’t have a turntable.

Rest in microwave 2 minutes. Test for doneness; cook 45-50 seconds longer if needed. Serves one.

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Thought for today: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

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