Apple Sorbet
Last week I participated inLife Cycle’s fruit pick/fruit tree program’s last pick of the year. It was a perfect fall day and the apple trees were glorious. Now I have another 30KG of apples to use up. So over the next few weeks we’ll be making more apple butter, apple chips and some apple based desserts. One of my favorites, which I first tried this summer, is apple sorbet. It is simple to make and delicious either on its own or served with pie. In the summer I made this with spartans with pink flecked flesh and the sorbet turned out a strinking pink (see pictures). I’m keen to try it again with a tarter apple. Another favorite, which I first made last fall, is Cinnamon Baked Apples with Hazelnut-Fennel Brittle. I got the recipe from Eat Magazine which I think is one of the best sources of recipes for seasonal, local produce.
To make this simple apple sorbet all you need is:
- INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/4 pounds eating apples , quartered, cored and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup apple juice or cider
- Apple chips (you can buy them at your local supermarket or make them)
- EQUIPMENT
- Ice-cream maker or shallow metal or plastic container
- Medium saucepan
- Sharp knife
- Fork
- Measuring cup
Over a medium heat combine apples, sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cook until apples are tender. Press the mixture through a metal sieve placed over a bowl. Discard apple skins and stir in apple juice (or cider) and another 1/2 cup water. If making without an ice cream machine, pour into a shallow container and freeze 6 hours, scraping with a fork once or twice to break up crystals. (Or if you do as I did and completely forget about it for 12 hours you may need o take a vegetable masher to it to break it up again! – see pics). If using a machine, churn until firm enough to scoop. Garnish with apple chips.
To make Cinnamon Baked Apples with Hazelnut-Fennel Brittle you need:
INGREDIENTS
- Hazelnuts, whole, toasted and skinned, 1 cup
- Granulated sugar, 1 cup
- Water, 1/4 cup
- Babe’s honey, 2 tbsp
- Salt, 1/4 tsp
- Fennel seeds, 1 tbsp
- Baked Apples
- Brown sugar, 3/4 cup
- Ground cinnamon, 2 tsp
- Apples, 8 medium, such as local Gravenstein, Spartan, Jonagold,Rome Beauty or Spy
- Butter, softened, 8 tsp
EQUIPMENT
- Parchment paper
- melon-baller
- 9X13-inch baking dish
- thick-bottomed medium sauce pan
- sharp knife
- measuring cup
INSTRUCTIONS
brittle
For the brittle, coarsely chop hazelnuts. Measure out 1/3 cup and set aside. Finely chop remaining nuts and set those aside for the apples.
The best way to approach brittle is not to rush and to keep the heat moderate. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a thick-bottomed medium sauce pan, stir sugar with water, honey and salt over low heat until dissolved. Increase heat to medium and let boil and bubble until light amber. Occasionally (and carefully) swirl pan to prevent any dark spots. This will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour onto parchment. Tilt baking sheet to spread out as thin as possible and sprinkle with chopped nuts and fennel. Let cool completely. Break into shards.
apples
For the apples, in a bowl, mix brown sugar with cinnamon and finely chopped nuts. Trim bottoms of apples so they sit flat. Core apples, using a melon-baller. Peel a 1/2-inch ring around the cored opening. Stuff apples with cinnamon sugar mixture. Press 1 tsp butter into top of each.
Place in a 9X13-inch baking dish. Pour in 1/4 cup water. Cover and bake in preheated 375F oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until very tender, 10 to 20 more minutes. Pierce with a sharp knife to check they are soft all the way through. Serve with vanilla ice cream and tuck in shards of brittle.
recipe credit: Eat Magazine
