NYT Apple Recipes :: simple thanksgiving

Apples are so marvelous. No wonder Eve took a bite.

Yesterday, my horse riding buddy Jenni (of Westerfeld Fitness) posted this NYTimes article with twelve different apple recipes. When I saw it, I decided one of our precious honeycrisp apples could be offered up to test a few of the recipes. One honeycrisp cut in thirds ~ to test 3 of the recipes. When Sara got home from school, I started the experiment as our afternoon snack.

Since I had shallots ~ I thought we’d try the Sautéed Apples With Shallots and Thyme:

Sautéed Apples With Shallots and Thyme

4 thinly sliced shallots * 1/4 cup olive oil * 1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced apples * 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Cook shallots in olive oil over medium heat, stirring, until soft and brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Add apples and fresh thyme leaves; cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, turn the heat to high and cook, stirring, for another 10 minutes

I have to be honest. I wasn’t sure I would like this one … but it’s amazing. Something about the way the shallots and thyme dance with the warm apple slices. Gracious. Sara loved it too. It would be great as a little side dish at Thanksgiving.

Next we tested the Cornmeal-Crusted Fried Apple recipe.

Confessions: I cheated on this recipe. I didn’t have corn meal so I used polenta ~ I make cheese grits all the time. Anyway, as a result ~ the texture is coarser. That certainly didn’t hurt the taste. Sara loved this recipe and asked for more.

Cornmeal-Crusted Fried Apples

1 1/2 pounds apples, cut into rings * neutral oil * 2 cups buttermilk * 1 cup flour * 1 cup cornmeal * 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Heat 2 inches of neutral oil in a deep pan to 350. Put buttermilk in a large bowl; combine flour, cornmeal and cayenne in a separate shallow bowl. Dip the apple rings in the buttermilk, then dredge in the cornmeal mixture. Fry each piece until golden, 5 minutes or less total. Drain on paper towels.

This next recipe was a little bit of a risk. Neither one of us were terribly excited but since I had some balsamic reduction ready to roll from the Baby Pavlovas … I thought we’d try it.

Baked Apples With Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary

4 apples * 1 tablespoon olive oil * 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I used reduction ~ intensifies the flavor) * 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Halve and core apples. Put cut side down in a greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle apples with fresh rosemary after turning and basting.

Ummm, this recipe is amazing. Fresh, clean, wild. I can’t tell you how we gushed over it. Matter of fact, I invited my parents over for dinner ~ grilled prime rib, fresh corn on the cob, green salad and Baked Apples With Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary for dessert! Everybody loved it. It’s the perfect kind of sweet. Light and delicious and healthy.

I’m planning on trying a few more of those recipes because these were so delicious and successful. I’ll for sure include a few in my holiday menus. Yum!

prepare your heart for the season :: 31 days of simple thanksgiving

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