DIY Network

Storing and Enjoying Hints for successful storage, and three apple-licious recipes From "Fresh From the Orchard" episode DFFO-112

Kelly Givens shares tips on storing apples, including a surprising tip on keeping apples in the refrigerator rather than on the countertop. Best of all, she demonstrates how to keep one bad apple from spoiling the whole bunch! To finish this episode, Kelly shares a delicious recipe for--what else?--apple pie.

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Storage

With proper storage, apples will last for months. One way to store apples is to keep them in your refrigerator's vegetable crisper. Apples stored in a refrigerator will keep nearly 10 times as long as apples kept on a countertop at room temperature.

If you have more apples than you can keep in your refrigerator, wrap each in a tissue or a piece of newspaper (figure A), carefully stack them in a cardboard box that has a few air holes in it (figure B) and place the box in a cool spot in your garage or basement. The newspaper prevents the apples from touching, so one rotten apple won't spoil the whole bunch.

Figure A

Figure B

Enjoying Apples and Apple Recipes

Apple varieties vary in taste and texture, and if you plan to do much cooking or baking, you'll want to choose a variety that suits your needs. For making applesauce, many cooks pick Braeburn, Fuji or Jonagold for the best taste and texture. For making apple pies or apple crisps, on the other hand, most folks prefer an apple with flesh that's firm enough to hold its shape even after baking, so they'll choose apples such as Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Rome.

Apple pie is America's number-one favorite dessert! Below is a delicious apple-pie recipe, along with recipes for apple pancakes and baked apples. You can find more recipes at www.FoodNetwork.com.

Apple Pie

Apple Pie

Recipe courtesy of the Food Network Kitchen.
Copyright (c) 2001 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

Dough:
2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. fine salt
14 Tbsp. cold butter, diced
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 2 Tbsp. cold water

Filling:
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 lbs. baking apples (e.g., Golden Delicious, Cortland or Mutsu)
2/3 c. sugar, plus more for sprinkling on the pie
1/4 c. unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
generous pinch ground nutmeg
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Make the dough by hand. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles yellow cornmeal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter. (If the flour/butter mixture gets warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before proceeding.) Add the egg and stir the dough together with a fork or by hand in the bowl. If the dough is dry, sprinkle up to tablespoon more of cold water over the mixture.
Make the dough in a food processor. With the machine fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles yellow cornmeal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter, about 10 times. Add the egg and pulse 1 to 2 times; don't let the dough form into a ball in the machine. (If the dough is very dry add up to a tablespoon more of cold water.) Remove the bowl from the machine, remove the blade and bring the dough together by hand.
Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.
Make the filling. Put the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Peel, halve, and core the apples. Cut each half into 4 wedges. Toss the apple with the lemon juice. Add the sugar and toss to combine evenly.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook until the apples soften and release most of their juices, about 7 minutes.
Strain the apples in a colander over a medium bowl to catch all the juice. Shake the colander to get as much liquid as possible. Return the juices to the skillet, and simmer over medium heat until thickened and lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the reduced juice and spices. Set aside to cool completely. (This filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated or frozen for up to 6 months.)
Cut the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half of dough into a disc about 11"-12" wide. Layer the dough between pieces of parchment or waxed paper on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Line the bottom of a 9" pie pan with one of the disks of dough and trim it so it lies about 1/2" beyond the edge of the pan. Put the apple filling in the pan and mound it slightly in the center. Brush the top edges of the dough with the egg. Place the second disc of dough over the top. Fold the top layer of dough under the edge of the bottom layer and press the edges together to form a seal. Flute the edge as desired. Brush the surface of the dough with egg and then sprinkle with sugar. Pierce the top of the dough in several places to allow steam to escape while baking. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Bake the pie on a baking sheet until the crust is golden, about 50 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving. The pie keeps well at room temperature (covered) for 24 hours, or refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Cook's Note: You may freeze the uncooked pie, but don't brush it with egg or dust it with sugar beforehand. Place the pie in the freezer for 30 minutes, to harden it slightly, and then double-wrap it with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, unwrap the pie, brush it with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake, from the frozen state, until golden brown, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Apple Pancakes

Recipe courtesy of the Food Network Kitchen.
Copyright (c) 2005 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. fine salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1-1/4 cups milk, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more as needed
4 Macintosh or other small apples
warm maple syrup, as an accompaniment

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and place in the oven.
Whisk 1-3/4 c. flour, the sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. In small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the eggs with the milk and vanilla extract. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a large, well-seasoned cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Whisk the butter into the milk mixture. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry mixture and whisk just long enough to make a thick batter (if there are a couple lumps that's okay).
Using a melon baller or an apple corer, peel and core the apples, keeping them whole. Slice the apples crosswise to make 1/4" rounds. Put some flour on a plate and dredge the apple slices until lightly coated, shaking off any excess flour.
In the same skillet over medium to medium-low heat, place 3 apple slices about 3" apart in the skillet. Cook without turning until browned, about 3 minutes. Ladle about 2 Tbsp. of the batter over each apple ring. Cook, until bubbles break the surface of the pancakes and the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add a nut-sized bit of butter to the skillet as needed and flip the pancakes, cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute more.
Serve immediately or transfer to oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining apples and batter. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Baked Apples

Baked Apples

Recipe courtesy of the Food Network Kitchen.
Copyright (c) 2001 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

6 large red baking apples (e.g., Rome Beauty, Cortland or Gala)
juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
3 packed Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. dried currants
1/4 c. broken walnut pieces, toasted
six 3" whole cinnamon sticks
1/2 c. apple cider
1/2 c. dark rum, cider or water
serving suggestions: whipped cream or vanilla or cinnamon ice cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice about 1/4" off the top of each apple. (The apple tops are perfect for snacking.) Scoop out the seeds and core of the apple with a melon baller to make a pocket. Peel off about a 1/2" band of the apple's skin along the upper half of the apple with a vegetable peeler. Brush the peeled part and the interior of the apple with lemon juice.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, lemon zest and sugar. Add the currants and nuts. Place some of the butter mixture and a cinnamon stick in each of the apples. Place the apples in an ovenproof baking dish just large enough to hold them upright. Pour in the cider and rum and bake until the apple is tender, about 30 minutes. Baste the apples with the cider/rum mixture with a bulb baster, 2 or 3 times, during baking. Serve warm or at room temperature with softly whipped cream or vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.