Abundant Apples

Apple Jelly

     In the fall there usually is an abundance of apples of all sizes and descriptions. We used our flowering crab apples to make apples jelly which turned a wonderful shade of red.  First I cooked the apples in some water until they were soft.  Next I put them in a cheesecloth jelly  There is some controversy over whether or not you should squeeze the jelly bag. Some women think that it makes the jelly cloudy to squeeze the bag.  However, I squeezed the bag to get more juice and my jelly turned out alright.  The next stage was to take sugar and put in a cup of sugar to a cup of juice.  The mixture is cooked on the stove and the way you tell if it is done is to take some of it and put it on a saucer. This is put into the fridge for a few minutes and if it is jelled then you can bottle your jelly.  Of course the bottles need to be sterilized. This is done by washing them in dish soap, rinsing, and then put into the over for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  If the jelly refuses to jelly you will have to put some pectin in it.

Baked Apples

     To bake apples, I core them and put them in a microwave safe dish.  Next, I put a surprise in the center.

This could be a prune, a fig, or some raisins.  To make the liquid, I pour some diet pop over the apples and then put some artificial sweetener and cinnamon over the top.  The apples should be microwaved until they are soft.  This will depend on the size of the apples and the power of your microwave.  Watch them carefully, because if you over cook the apples they will go all flat.

Fancy Apple Pie

     Recently, I found an apple pie recipe that makes the cook feel like a gourmet chef.  First, you roll out your pastry and put it in the pie plate, fluting the edges. Next, you peel and core four apples and slice them in two horizontally.   To complete the pie you will need the following ingredients: 1/4 cup of white flour; 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/2-3/4 cup of sugar (second amount); 1 cup of blend (10% milk fat); 1 scant tablespoon of cinnamon; and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F..  Take flour and sugar and sprinkle over your pastry crust. Put apples on top, sliced side down.  Distribute the second amount of sugar around the apples, and pour the milk in between.  Take cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle on top.  Bake for 15 minutes at high heat, and then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. for 40 minutes or until the apples are soft.   This dessert serves 6.

** This recipe was taken from "Maritime Flavors: Apples" by Elaine Elliot and Virginia Lee; published by Formac Publishing Company Limited, Halifax, 1996

Picture of  My Gourmet Apple Pie