Leaflet No. 312
U. S. Department of Agriculture
Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics
Almost everyone enjoys apples. And there are so many ways to use apples that a family need never tire of them.
This leaflet is designed to supplement the better-known apple recipes given in many cook books. You will find here some new apple adventures and some variations on favorite ways of using the fruit. Recipes calling for applesauce and apple juice are included.
All recipes have been developed or adjusted by research methods, to arrive at up-to-date, dependable directions.
Many families eat apples liberally, for apples regularly take top or second rank among the country’s most widely used fruits.
Eaten in generous quantities, especially raw, apples can provide some vitamin C. The food value, however, varies considerably, depending on such factors as variety, storage conditions—temperature and length of keeping—and finally the way the fruit is kept and served at home.
A small or medium-size apple makes a very pleasant low-calorie dessert in many homes.
To get the most in apple enjoyment, look for a variety that suits family taste and the uses you have in mind.
Many varieties are good for all purposes—general cooking, baking whole, eating raw. Tart, firm apples are generally best liked for cooking; sweeter apples, for eating raw. (See table on pages 4 and 5 for descriptions of 12 well-known varieties.)
Early summer apples are likely to be juicy, tart, and quick-cooking ... especially good in applesauce and pies.
Don’t forget that apples that are tart and firm when picked in autumn become less crisp and snappy if stored through the winter.
In some areas, windfalls and culls are sold at bargain rates. To make sure you have a real bargain, stop, look, and consider how you will use the fruit. Bruises and skin breaks mean waste, and apples damaged this way are poor risks for home canning. Best uses for them are in jelly, apple butter, or cider.
Skin russeting ordinarily does not affect apple quality.
If apples are to be bought in large quantity, it is better to buy a few at first, to try out, to see whether they have the flavor and texture you want.
Apples are noted for good keeping qualities, but it takes a little care to hold them at their best in home storage.
Short storage (a few days to 2 weeks): Keep firm apples in a cool place, 60° to 70° F. Keep mellow-ripe apples in the refrigerator.
Longer storage (up to several months): If you have plenty of cool- or cold-storage space, where temperature remains the same and the air is rather moist, you can probably save money by storing autumn-picked apples in quantity at home.
Sort carefully to remove apples with bruises and skin breaks. Use these promptly. Divide the sound apples into half-bushel lots and store at 32° F. If you cannot provide this kind of storage, use your coldest storage space, where there is no danger of the fruit freezing.
Most recipes in this leaflet provide four servings; a few provide more.
| VARIETY | SEASON | SIZE AND DESCRIPTION | USE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | November to May | Medium to large. Partially red to dull solid red. Juicy, moderately tart, hard, crisp. | Raw and general cooking. |
| Red Delicious | October to April | Medium to large. Deep red, five knobs on blossom end. Sweet, firm, tender, fragrant. | Raw. |
| Golden Delicious | October to March | Medium to large. Yellow. Sweet, firm, crisp, tender. | Raw and general cooking. |
| Grimes Golden | October to February | Small to medium. Yellow with small dark specks. Moderately juicy, slightly tart, firm, crisp, tender, fragrant. | Raw and general cooking. |
| Jonathan | October to February | Small to medium. Deep red. Juicy, moderately tart, tender, crisp, fragrant. | Raw and general cooking. |
| McIntosh | October to March | Medium. Bright deep red striped with carmine. Juicy, moderately tart, tender, crisp, fragrant. | Raw and general cooking. |
| Northern Spy | October to March | Large. Bright striped red. Juicy, moderately tart, firm, crisp, tender, fragrant. | Raw and general cooking. |
| Rome Beauty | November to May | Large. Yellow mingled with red. Juicy, slightly tart, firm, rather crisp. | General cooking, baking whole. |
| Stayman | November to April | Medium to large. Dull striped red. Juicy, tart, firm, crisp. | Raw, general cooking, baking whole. |
| Winesap | January to May | Small to medium. Deep bright red with small scattered white dots. Juicy, slightly tart, hard, crisp, fragrant. | Raw, general cooking, baking whole. |
| Yellow Newtown | February to June | Medium. Yellow. Juicy, moderately tart, hard, crisp. | Raw and general cooking. |
| York Imperial | October to April | Medium to large. Light or purplish red over yellow. Lopsided shape, usually. Slightly tart, hard, crisp. | Raw and general cooking. |
To give a sharper flavor to the mild acorn....
2 small acorn squashes
¼ cup brown sugar
3 cups chopped apple
Nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons table fat
Cut squash in halves and scoop out seeds.
Place squash in a baking dish; fill centers with apple.
Pour a little water into the dish. Cover and bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) 30 minutes, or until partly done.
Sprinkle with salt, sugar, and nutmeg, and dot with fat.
Bake uncovered about 45 minutes, or until the squash is soft.
Four servings.
Fritters are special, and especially good with any lean meat—cold sliced or hot ...
1 cup sifted flour
1 egg, beaten
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon melted fat
1 cup thinly sliced apples
1 tablespoon sugar
Fat for deep-fat frying
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
Combine egg, milk, and fat. Add to the dry ingredients all at once, stirring only enough to moisten.
Stir in the apples.
Drop by spoonfuls into hot fat (350°-375°F.) and cook until browned.
Serve with sirup or sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
Eight small fritters.
One way to bring together the ever-popular pork and apple team....
¼ cup diced salt pork
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped parsley
5 medium-size tart apples, diced
½ cup sugar
2 cups soft bread cubes
Cook salt pork in a fry pan until crisp, and remove from fat. Cook onion and parsley in the fat for a few minutes.
Place apples in the pan, sprinkle with sugar. Cover and cook until tender, then continue cooking uncovered a few minutes until apples are candied.
Add salt pork and bread cubes; heat through.
Yield: 3 cups stuffing.
Pile hot stuffing between two sections of spareribs, skewer them together, and bake. Or use to stuff a boned shoulder of fresh pork. One-half of this recipe will stuff four large pork chops, with enough left over to cook on top of the chops.
Easy to make ... no cooking....
1 cup finely chopped unpared apples
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
½ cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped green pepper
⅓ cup sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon mustard
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chopped canned pimiento
Mix apples, cabbage, celery, and green pepper.
Combine sugar, vinegar, spices, and pimiento. Add to apples and vegetables and mix lightly but thoroughly.
Yield: 2 cups.
When something firm and crisp is wanted in salad, along with fruity flavor, apples are just the thing. They make likable combinations with more salad foods than most people ever try. Salads in this section include meat, cheese, fruits, and vegetables—even the onion, for onion lovers.
Don’t let apples darken. Raw apple when cut often darkens from exposure to air. Some nuts also make raw apple darken, especially if the fruit has come in contact with iron in a knife blade or chopper.
So, when cutting apples for salad, protect them from darkening by mixing the pieces with fruit juice—lemon, orange, grapefruit, or pineapple—before adding other ingredients. Or, mix with salad dressing at once, for a protective coating.
Some like it tart. To give a sharper tang to a salad, especially if apples are mild in flavor, use a tart oil dressing, lemon juice, or a sour cream dressing.
Mix diced tart apples, chopped celery, and nuts. Fold into a partially thickened gelatin mixture. For 2 cups of the apple mixture, use 1 package of gelatin dessert powder and 2 cups of water. Chill until firm.
Core unpared apples and slice in thin cross sections. Arrange on salad greens with orange slices and onion rings. Serve with a clear, tart oil dressing.
Moisten equal amounts of chopped apples and finely shredded cabbage with sour-cream dressing.
Variations. If desired, season the dressing with a little horseradish, or add coarsely ground peanut butter.
Mix 1 cup diced or sliced raw apple with ½ cup celery and 1 cup of any of the following: Flaked tuna fish (7-oz. can); chopped cooked pork, ham, veal, chicken, turkey; diced cheese. Moisten with tart french dressing or mayonnaise and serve in lettuce cups. Four servings.
For a jellied salad. Fold the above ingredients—except the dressing—into a partially thickened gelatin mixture made from a package of lemon or lime gelatin dessert powder and 2 cups of water. Chill. Serve with the dressing. Jellied this way, the recipe makes 6 servings.
Sprinkle diced apples with lemon juice. Add chopped dates, raisins, or grapes. Mix with marshmallows or cream cheese cut in small cubes.
For fruit salads....
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
Juice 1 lemon
1 cup apple juice
1 egg, well beaten
1 3-ounce package cream cheese
Mix dry ingredients, add fruit juices, and blend. Cook over hot water 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
Slowly stir into egg. Return to heat and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool slightly.
Mash cream cheese with fork; beat into cooked mixture. Chill.
Yield: 1 cup.
Applesauce bran muffins
Softer than most bran muffins....
1¼ cups sifted flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup bran
1 egg, beaten
⅓ cup milk
⅔ cup applesauce
¼ cup melted fat
Sift together flour, baking power, salt, and sugar. Mix in bran.
Combine egg, milk, applesauce, and fat. Add to the dry ingredients all at once, stirring only enough to moisten.
Fill greased muffin pans two-thirds full. Bake at 400° F. (hot oven) about 20 minutes.
Makes about 12 medium-size muffins.
Applesauce whole-wheat muffins. Use same recipe, replacing bran with 1 cup whole-wheat flour and using 1 cup applesauce. Do not try to sift this flour.
For a different flavor. Add 1 teaspoon grated orange rind to the milk.
Brighten any breakfast or supper....
1½ cups sifted flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted fat
2 cups very finely chopped apples
Sift dry ingredients together.
Combine the egg, milk, and fat. Add gradually to the dry ingredients; stir only until batter is smooth. Fold in apples.
Drop by spoonfuls onto a hot greased griddle. Cook slowly until the surface is covered with bubbles, turn, and cook until the bottom is well-browned.
Makes about 18 medium-size griddlecakes.
A piece of cut apple in the cookie jar is a familiar device to keep cookies from drying out quickly. These applesauce cookies have the moisture and fruit flavor built in.
½ cup fat
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1¾ cups sifted flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup seedless raisins
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup applesauce
Cream together fat and sugar; stir in the egg.
Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Mix in raisins and rolled oats. Add to creamed mixture in three portions alternately with applesauce in two portions. Beat well.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° F. (moderate oven) about 15 minutes.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
¾ cup fat
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2½ cups sifted flour
½ teaspoon soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ cup chopped nuts
½ cup applesauce
Cream together fat and sugar; stir in the egg.
Sift together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix in nuts. Add to creamed mixture in three portions alternately with the applesauce in two portions.
Form into rolls; wrap in waxed paper and chill in refrigerator.
Slice thinly. Bake on greased baking sheets at 375° F. (moderate oven) 10 to 15 minutes.
Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate
½ cup fat
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup applesauce
1¼ cups sifted flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup chopped nut meats
Melt chocolate and fat together over hot water. Cool slightly.
Blend in sugar, eggs, and applesauce.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices. Add to first mixture.
Stir in the nut meats.
Spread the batter in two greased 8-inch square pans. Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) 30 to 40 minutes.
Cool in pan; then cut into 3 dozen small bars.
When it comes to desserts, apples are in their glory, and the cook can always find a way to prepare them that fits right in with her plans. She can make desserts with apples raw or cooked, applesauce, juice, or canned slices. Apple desserts can be hot or cold ... quick to fix, or time-consuming but well worth it.
Recipes given here provide examples of the many ways of topping off the meal with apples.
Core apples without cutting through the blossom end. Pare apples one-third of the way down.
Place apples in a baking dish. Sprinkle the holes lightly with salt, and add 1 tablespoon sugar to each apple. Top with table fat and sprinkle sugar over pared portion of apples.
Pour enough water in bottom of dish to keep apples from sticking.
Bake uncovered at 400° F. (hot oven) about 1 hour, or until apples are tender.
1. Fill the apples with chopped fresh cranberries and bake.
2. Fill centers with crushed pineapple. After baking, top apples with marshmallows and return to oven for a few minutes.
3. Serve with a topping of cream cheese softened with cream and beaten until fluffy.
5 cups apple slices (pared)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup sifted flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup table fat
⅔ cup grated cheese
Fill pie pan or shallow baking dish with apples; sprinkle with lemon juice and ¼ cup of the sugar.
Mix cinnamon, flour, salt, and the other ½ cup sugar. Cut in fat until mixture is granular. Stir in cheese. Spread over apples.
Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) until apples are tender—about 40 minutes.
Cool before cutting to serve.
Serve with plain cream or ice cream, if desired.
Six servings.
Slice pared apple quarters. Put slices into pan and add enough water to half cover apples. Add a few grains of salt and 2 to 4 tablespoons of sugar for each apple used. Put the cover on and cook gently until apples are tender—20 to 30 minutes. Serve chilled, plain or with cream. Or, bake some of the drained slices in custard (p. 15).
6 medium-size tart apples, quartered
¾ to 1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons table fat
Pastry for 9-inch pie
Pare, core, and slice the apples. Line a piepan with pastry. Place a layer of apples over the bottom; sprinkle with a mixture of the sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Dot with fat. Repeat until all ingredients are used.
Cover with pastry that has a few slits in the center so steam can escape; seal edges.
Bake at 425° F. (hot oven) 40 to 50 minutes, or until apples are tender and crust is well-browned.
French apple pie. Mix 1 cup seedless raisins with the apples and reduce the sugar to ½ cup. To frost, mix ½ cup confectioners’ sugar with 2 teaspoons water and spread over top crust of cooled pie.
2 medium-size apples
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
Nutmeg, if desired
Pare and slice apples.
Add sugar and salt to the water; put over heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add apples and cover the pan. Cook slowly until apples are just tender—about 15 minutes.
Carefully stir in tapioca, and continue cooking a few minutes until tapioca is transparent.
Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve with plain or whipped cream.
Red apple tapioca. Add ¼ cup red cinnamon candies to water and stir until dissolved before adding apples. Omit nutmeg.
Four servings.
1 cup dessert apple slices (p. 13) or canned apple slices, drained
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1½ cups hot milk
Nutmeg
Arrange apples in bottom of four custard cups. Combine sugar, salt, and eggs. Add milk slowly. Pour over apples, sprinkle with nutmeg. Set cups in a pan of hot water.
Bake at 325° F. (slow oven) until the custard is set—30 to 40 minutes.
Four servings.
4 slices bread or plain cake
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1½ cups applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
Spread bread or cake slices with butter or margarine, and arrange in the bottom of a greased baking dish.
Cover with applesauce; sprinkle with cinnamon and about half the sugar.
Beat together egg, milk, salt, and rest of sugar. Omit sugar in this mixture if cake is used. Pour over mixture in baking dish.
Set in pan of hot water and bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) about 40 minutes.
Four servings.
1 cup applesauce
1 cup thin cream
⅓ cup sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
Combine ingredients, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Pour into freezing tray and freeze at the coldest refrigerator temperature until firm.
Turn into chilled bowl and beat smooth. Return quickly to tray; freeze.
Four servings.
1 tablespoon gelatin
¼ cup cold water
¾ cup applesauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon each cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg white
½ cup heavy cream, whipped
½ cup crushed ginger snaps
Sprinkle gelatin on water and soak for a few minutes.
Heat applesauce, lemon juice, and lemon rind with half the sugar.
Dissolve gelatin in hot applesauce. Add spices. Chill until partly set.
Add salt to egg white and beat until stiff. Add rest of sugar slowly, beating until glossy.
Fold egg white mixture, cream, and half of the crumbs into gelatin mixture. Pour into mold.
Chill until firm.
Before serving, sprinkle with rest of the crumbs.
Four servings.
3 cups applesauce
½ cup (1 box) gelatin dessert powder (any fruit flavor)
32 small vanilla wafers
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
Heat applesauce slowly, stirring frequently. Stir dessert powder into hot applesauce; stir until dissolved. Chill until partly set.
Place a layer of wafers in bottom of 8-inch square pan.
Pour in applesauce mixture, and cover with another layer of wafers.
Chill until firm.
Top with sweetened whipped cream just before serving.
Nine servings.
1 tablespoon gelatin
¼ cup cold water
3 eggs, separated
1½ cups applesauce
⅛ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
9-inch baked pastry shell, or graham cracker shell
Nutmeg if desired
Sprinkle gelatin on water; soak a few minutes.
Beat egg yolks slightly, and add the applesauce, ginger, cinnamon, milk, lemon juice and rind, and half the sugar.
Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, 20 to 25 minutes.
Add gelatin to the hot mixture; stir until dissolved. Cool until thick but not set.
Add salt to egg whites and beat until stiff. Add rest of sugar slowly, beating constantly. Blend with the thickened gelatin mixture.
Pour into the shell and sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired. Chill until firm.
Wash, quarter, and core apples.
Cook until soft with a small amount of water in a covered pan. Put apples through a sieve or food press. Add a few grains of salt, and sweeten to taste while still hot.
Quick applesauce. Pare quartered and cored apples. Cook as above. When apples are tender, crush pieces with a potato masher or stir until smooth. Add salt and sweeten as above.
For variety. Sweeten the sauce with brown sugar or honey. Or, cook a few whole cloves or a piece of stick cinnamon or a few raisins with the apples. Remove cinnamon before serving.
If the apples are very mild, cook 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice with them.
½ cup fat
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cup apple juice
Cream fat, vanilla, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in well.
Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
Add to creamed mixture in three portions alternately with apple juice in two portions.
Turn batter into two greased 8-inch round layer pans.
Bake at 375° F. (moderate oven) 25 to 30 minutes.
Variation. Add 1 cup of raisins to the batter.
1 cup sugar
½ cup apple juice
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
Mix sugar, apple juice, salt, and lemon juice. Cook until the sirup forms a soft ball (234° to 240° F.) when a little of it is dropped into a cup of very cold water.
Pour very slowly over stiffly beaten egg whites, beating constantly. Continue beating until mixture stands in soft peaks.
Spread between layers and over top and sides of cake.
Variations. When frosting is ready to spread, stir in ½ cup chopped pecans or hazelnuts, or shredded almonds.
For a more festive cake, sprinkle ¼ cup pink-tinted shredded coconut over the top after frosting is spread.
As a snack, or a fruity appetizer for tea, use apple slices spread with a topping. Applewiches they are sometimes called, especially when a second apple slice is placed over the topping.
To prepare the slices, core the apple and cut thick rounds, leaving the colorful peel on. Toppings include—
Soft sharp cheese ... cream cheese with strawberry jam or chopped nuts ... peanut butter and mayonnaise ... sliced ham, chicken, or turkey, or any of these meats ground and mixed with mayonnaise.
BUREAU OF HUMAN NUTRITION AND HOME ECONOMICS
Agricultural Research Administration
U. S. Department of Agriculture. September 1951
Prepared by Mary T. Swickard
This leaflet supersedes the unnumbered publication, Apple Recipes.
U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1951
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office
Washington 25, D. C.—Price 10 cents
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