[Dan Driscoll]

...several dozen small, greens ones, about 6-7 pounds of them, fairly tart. Apple pie comes to mind immediately, of course, but I'm not much of a baker. You can't free-style as much as you can with other forms of cooking, which is pretty much how I do all of my cooking.

I'll be attending a small dinner party Sunday evening, about 6 people, and I've been asked to provide the dessert. I'd like to do something with these apples other than a pie. I've got enough to make at least one and probably two "training" dishes, if necessary. It would be good if the dish were kosher, but it's not a requirement.

Suggestions and recipes welcome! 

[konut]

                                                                 Apple Cake

    3/4c  oil
    3   eggs
    1 3/4c AP Flour
    1c sugar
    2t baking powder
    1 1/2t vanilla
    1/2t salt

Oil 9"X13"X3" baking pan, preheat oven to 350

Mix oil, sugar, salt, and vanilla, using mixer or whisk. Beat in eggs one at a time.
Sift flour and baking powder together, and add to beaten mixture, mixing until just combined, until flour disappears and there are no lumps. Do not overmix. Pour in pan.

    1 Lb fresh apples, sliced
    1/2c sugar
    2t lemon juice
    1t cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Top batter evenly with apple mixture.

Optional: Streusel Topping

      1/2 Lb sugar
      1/2 Lb brown sugar
      1/4t salt
      1t vanilla
      1/4t cinnamon
      pinch nutmeg

Mix together and add 1Lb soft margarine(for kosher version) or butter. Mix thoroughly.

Add  2 LB AP flour and combine with first mixture until crumbly. DO NOT OVER MIX!
This will make enough streusel for several batches of apple cake. Top apple cake with streusel mixture to taste.

Bake 50-60 min., or until golden brown.

[Wind Chaser]

Apple crisp!

[Andrikos]

Cider!

That's what I did with 50lbs of apples from my tree.
5 gallons of cider is fermenting as we speak!

[BradJudy]

Baked apples in various forms are a nice dessert.  You can cut them in half, or just core them.  Add sugar, walnuts and raisins (or other fruit/nuts), wrap them in foil and stick them in the over (or even on the grill).  We like doing this with pears and blueberries, but apples are great too. 

[Syrah]

I've made proper hard cider too. My wife is from Brittany - the land of cider.

You could try Tarte Tatin, my favourite apple pie.  You get a cast iron pan and make caramel (sugar, butter...) then you cook the apples (sliced in chunks) in the caramel.  Then you take the pan off the heat and top all the apples with round puff pastry. You tuck the edges of the pastry downward inside the edge of the pan - so it makes like an upside down bowl over the top of the aplples.  Bake it in the oven until the pastry is done, then flip it over on to a pie plate while it's still hot.  Let it cool to luke warm.

Delicious stuff.

[spudco]

I agree with Syrah = Apple Tarte Tartin is great!

Here is how I do it:

Ingredients

1 double pie dough or puff pastry - you can buy these in the frozen section if you don't want to make them
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
8+ apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Instructions

preheat the oven to 375 degrees - with a rack in the center

Melt butter in an iron skillet over medium heat and spread around pan
Sprinkle Sugar over butter
Remove from heat and layer apples in pan - make a nice arrangement, they will be on top of the finished tart
Return to medium heat – cook until sugar turns deep caramel color – 15-20 minutes - no stiring!
Line baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil
Transfer skillet to baking sheet
Roll out dough on wax paper and prick it with fork
Cover skillet with dough – tuck extra into sides of pan
Bake 30-40 minutes - the crust will be a nice brown when done
Invert onto serving plate and cool (must allow to cool!) - be careful with the hot skillet!

You can dust with confectioners sugar if you wish.

Can be served with cream, ice cream, chopped roasted pecans...  BIG YUM!

[BobM]

Apple crisp!

Took the words out of my mouth. Now I can't wait until Autum when my wife gets the desire to make this again.

Bob

[some young guy]

I'd go for the apple tartine, but I'd finish it with some calvados and whipped creme fraiche... and if I was feeling especially motivated: I'd also serve it with an apple sorbet (maybe with just a touch of mint). To make the sorbet; juice your apples, combine the juice with some simple syrup (1c sugar, 1c water juice of 1 lemon brought to a boil, then cooled) and freeze. If you don't have an ice cream machine, use a flat pan in the freezer. Use a whisk to break up ice crystals as they form (every 5 minutes or so, for an hour or until frozen).

[Dan Driscoll]

There's some very tasty looking recipes here. I might have to make a couple of them. 

[Syrah]

To combine a couple of some young guy's ideas, you could make the Tarte Tatin, plate it with a small ramekin or shot glass, and put a Trou Norman in the shot glass (a shot of Calvados with a floating ball of that apple sorbet) - you could call it, "Apples Three Ways" - cooked, frozen, ferment and distilled.

While it sounds complex, it would be a great dinner party dessert since it can all be made in advance and thrown together at the last minute.  Sorbet - I'm guessing a good week in advance; Tarte Tatin - half a day in advance; Calvados - just try not to drink it all before the party.

[Dan Driscoll]

I like apple brandy, but no liquor this time. One of the guests is a recovering alcoholic.

[some young guy]

To combine a couple of some young guy's ideas, you could make the Tarte Tatin, plate it with a small ramekin or shot glass, and put a Trou Norman in the shot glass (a shot of Calvados with a floating ball of that apple sorbet) - you could call it, "Apples Three Ways" - cooked, frozen, ferment and distilled.

Yeah, that's what I meant actually... aside from the shot (which is a fine idea).

I like apple brandy, but no liquor this time. One of the guests is a recovering alcoholic.

Then do an apple reduction. Juice and strain some of them. Put the juice in a non-reactive saucepan with whatever spices you like (cinnamon would would be a fine choice) and let it slowly reduce over medium heat, being careful to not let any of the juice over caramelize on the sides, until it thickens. Another favorite of mine is to caramelize some sugar, then add the apple juice to that for a reduction. It adds a nice complexity and can be a great balance to a more tart apple. Or you can make a little compote by adding diced apples to the caramel. You could also add some currants to the mix to make the bridge from fresh fruit to that late harvest. Or... well, they're apples, it's pretty open! 

[Dan Driscoll]

Mix together and add 1Lb soft margarine(for kosher version) or butter. Mix thoroughly.

I just noticed this. I'm not an expert on Jewish dietary rules, but I'm pretty sure butter is kosher, as long as it's not cooked or served in the same dish or pan as meat. Or is there something else about this application?

[konut]

Margarine, the kosher version, can be served with any meal. Its called pareve or parve, pronounced parveh. The butter version can only be served with a dairy based meal, never a meal that has meat included. The butter version is also kosher with the noted restriction. Sorry for not being clear.

[Dan Driscoll]

I decided to go with a cross between a crisp and a slump. What I wanted was a topping with the consistency of a very dense, moist brownie, but w/o the chocolate flavor. I went very simple with the apples, just cored and 1/4" slices, layered in an earthenware gratin dish with lemon juice squeezed over to brighten up the flavor a little. The topping was unbleached AP flour, dark brown sugar, butter, a little honey, walnuts and dried cherries. The seasonings were nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, fenugreek, salt and vanilla. Baked uncovered in a 325* oven for ~30 minutes and allowed to cool for another 30 minutes. Served ala mode, with Breyer's All Natural Vanilla ice cream.

I didn't quite get the brownie texture I was hoping for, I probably needed to add some baking powder to get a little rise. But judging by the empty dish, it was pretty good anyway.

[TF1216]

Sounds wonderful!  Did you take a picture of your dessert?

[gsm18439]

There is an inexpensive cookbook that I recommend called The Frog Commissary Cookbook - $14 on Amazon. It has some of the best desert recipes - almost foolproof if you follow directions. One is a sour cream apple pie.

[Dan Driscoll]

Sounds wonderful!  Did you take a picture of your dessert?

Sorry, but no. I did all the prep work and assembly at home, then cooked it at the house where the party was being held.