Weekly Extras: Over did it at the Orchard? Me too.

Grandma's Apple Sauce, Fall Apple Salad, Bourbon Apple Brie Crostinis

A corollary of childhood in California in the Fall (according to me), is to build up a mental collection of what quintessential fall activities would look like. When most kids were planning their costumes or which face to carve into a pumpkin, I was yearning for seasonal moments with almost the same intensity as Rory does about Harvard: the red and yellow leaves bristling below me as I walk amongst them on the sidewalk, picking apples straight from the trees at an orchard and wearing flannel all season long (or so it seemed in every L.L. Bean catalog I received). You read that right, I sifted through the L.L. Bean Catalog while everyone else my age read Cosmo Girl. I was…cool.

When I made the move to East Coast a few years ago, you better believe my first fall activity was apple picking, while wearing flannel. My friends graciously invited me along on their tradition of picking at Wightman Farms. Excitement got the best of me and I walked, more like waddled, out with 15 pounds of apples. With no plans on what I was going to do with them. This year I came in with a plan, a color-coded list (see below) and an array of recipe ideas. While I still overdid it (11 pounds this year) I’m thrilled with how these all came together, featuring yours truly: the apple.

X, Kelly

Menu:

• Grandma’s Apple Sauce

• Apple, Walnut and Pancetta Salad with Maple Dressing

• Brie Crostinis with Bourbon-Glazed Apples

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APPLE PICKING at WIGHTMAN FARMS

Last year I came home with my apple haul and had no clue which apple which was which. This year I upped my game and brought stickers to color code each varietal.

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Grandma’s Apple Sauce

This is deceptively simple, and absurdly good. As a bonus, it is my Dad’s favorite, he loves the chunks—distinguishing it has homemade and just like the way his Grandma used to make for him.

The beauty of this dish is that it is the perfect way to put a welcomed dent in your apple haul, and you can mix and match similar varietals of apples. It leaves you with an aromatic final product that is immensely flavorful and incredibly hearty. I like to serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sprinkle of brown sugar for some added grittiness. Store it in the fridge and enjoy it all week long. It’s the best answer to the “stare into the fridge to see what I can take a bite of” situation. It also works well stirred into oatmeal or as a topping on yogurt. You can find this recipe in my cookbook.

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Apple, Walnut and Pancetta Salad
with Maple Dressing

I love a salad, it can be the main event or the side kick. It can be loaded with protein, cheese and other accoutrements or simple with hearty leaves and a good olive oil. There is something about it that always brightens a meal and makes you feel good. They come together easily and as long you follow what I think are the main principles: a sturdy leaf, a crunch, a herb, a fat and a strong balance of oil and acid, you will be set up for success to make many different kinds of salads.

I’ve been making this particular salad for over fifteen years. When I was younger I loved it purely for the satisfyingly tangy maple dressing. Over the years I’ve refined it, along with my palette, taking away and adding elements. This rendition is the one that I am most proud of. It falls nicely on the palette without one ingredient overpowering the other.