Fall harvest brings apple delights

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, October 18, 2016

In a world of two-pepper risottos and three-cheese pizzas, why not five-apple applesauce? Why not, indeed.

Bringing so many different varieties into one sauce adds great depth of flavor and texture.

So a few summers ago, in the wake of roasting just about every other form of produce, I decided to do likewise with a batch of apples, instead of the usual stovetop simmer. I included a healthy dollop of butter and sprinkling of brown sugar to really encourage some caramelizing action.

After an hour in a hot oven, some of the apples had cooked into a soft puree, while others stood their ground, resulting in a chunky-creamy offering that I found to be equally comfortable atop a bowl of French vanilla ice cream or cozied up next to a grilled pork chop.

Roasting a lot of apples now while there are so many local varieties available, then freezing in 2 cup batches for down the road could be your final brilliant preserving maneuver.

Local baking/cooking apples

To be considered a great baking/cooking apple, an apple needs to retain both flavor and texture when heated. A few that fall into that category include the Belle de Boskoop, Braeburn, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Fuji, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Jonagold, Liberty, Melrose, Mutsu, Newtown Pippin (also known as Newton), Northern Spy, Red Rome, Spitzenberg and Winesap.

And while we’re talking about the savory side of the season’s apple harvest, it’s appropriate to include a couple other recipes that embrace that idea.

One is a simple skillet meal that brings leeks, potatoes and apples together in a pan to create a unique (but delicious!) side dish — a savory whole-grained bread-based dressing — to sauteed pork loin chops. I encourage you to give it a try.

The other recipe? An inspiring salad of Fuji apples marinated in a zesty hazelnut oil vinaigrette, tossed with crispy greens, crunchy toasted hazelnuts and creamy crumbles of blue cheese. A truly winning combination.

— Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis food writer, artist, and author of “Oregon Hazelnut Country, the Food, the Drink, the Spirit,” and four other cookbooks. Readers can contact her by email at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.