Apple Butter

I love so many things about this time of year. So. Many. I don't even know where to start. Sometimes, I sit down to write a blog post and my mind just starts spinning with all the crisp-air-apple-pie-pumpkin-spice-boots autumny things. It's hard to narrow it down, as you may be able to tell. I'm not sure how long this will last, but this time of year also brings me back to fall Tokyo. It felt like an eternity before the leaves would start changing and the weather became perfectly chilly for things like hot chocolate, yakiimo, and roasted chestnuts. There were streets lined with Gingko trees that became shockingly yellow, creating an amazing golden light that you don't expect to see in a massive city. My favorite trees, no matter the season, were Japanese maples. Their small, star-like leaves were memorizing. I used stand beneath the branches and stare up at the bright red stars, their little points overlapping and creating perfect patterns and an endless blanket of autumn beauty against a brilliantly blue sky.  That, among other things, is where my mind wanders when I start making my fall favorites like pumpkin muffins (coming soon!) and this apple butter.

Apple butter is one of those things I make when I have an overabundance my favorite fruit. When fall arrives, I stock up on all my favorite apples and I'm blessed to have friends who bring bags of apples from their backyard trees. I'm convinced I could never have enough apples around, but having the space to store them is another issue entirely. So, when I start to feel a bit cramped, this apple butter is a perfect way to make the house smell incredible. It also helps me hold on to my favorite seasonal flavors for as long as humanly possible.

What makes this apple butter better than all the rest? Yep. I heard you.

Most recipes call for quite a lot of brown sugar, which is delicious but not so much good for a person who might need to have apple butter every day. *raises hand guiltily* Instead of packing this apple butter with sugar, I added several dates to provide a sweetness quite similar to brown sugar without all the...well...sugar.

Here's what you should do as soon as possible: get the ingredients you need for the apple butter, get them going over low heat on your stove-top or in your slow cooker, and sip on some hot cider while mulling over all the reasons why this is greatest time of year. Because, let's be honest, it just is.

Apple Butter

Makes about one 12 oz jar

• 6 large apples, cored, cut into wedges, peel left on
• 6 pitted dates
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes until the apples and dates are softened. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Place the lid slightly ajar on the pan, return to low heat and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apple butter has thickened, about 30-45 minutes. Add more liquid as needed so the apple butter doesn't burn or become too paste-like.

Remove the apple butter from the heat and cool completely before putting in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. The apple butter will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks and tastes fantastic spread on toast, muffins, or with savory items like pork tenderloin or chicken.

*To make this in a slow cooker, add all ingredients and set on low for 8 hours. Purée the ingredients, set the lid slightly ajar, and continue cooking for another hour on low heat.

Irish Apple Cake

After a couple of pretty hectic and overwhelming weeks, I was able to spend a few quiet moments in my kitchen today calmly baking and sipping tea while listening to music that did not involve Disney or Raffi. I had forgotten how therapeutic it can be to cook for no other reason than "just because". I kept things simple and seasonal with this beautiful and delicious Irish Apple Cake. Every step, from peeling and slicing the apples, creaming the butter and sugar, and crumbling the topping made me feel a little more like myself. The house smelled like warm cinnamon and apples, which was perfect on one of the first truly fall-like days we have had so far. Crisp, cool October air wafted through my kitchen window and I think I breathed a little deeper than usual in an effort to savor every wonderful smell.

Aside from needing the simple therapy baking provides, I also felt it was appropriate to bake a cake during my first week of the third trimester. Baby is moving and grooving, kicking my ribcage whenever possible, and making it difficult to get a full night's sleep. This little boy is so active already that I'm beginning to think the whole second-child-is-easy-going rumor is a total lie. I guess we'll see what happens when he arrives! Until then, I'm going to keep drinking lots of chamomile tea, following every meal with a couple of Tums and taking advantage of random energy boosts to do very important things. Like baking cake.

As I was researching recipes for Irish Apple Cake, I realized that they are all slightly different. Some have crumble topping while others do not. Some call for brown sugar while other use white. It seems that apple cake is different from home to home. I based my recipe on this one from The View from Great Island. 

I may or may not have had this for breakfast this morning. I blame the baby.

Irish Apple Cake

For the streussel topping:

• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• confectioner's sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter and flour a 9 inch spring-form pan.
3. Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until fully incorporated.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the bowl with the butter and sugar. Add the buttermilk and stir until just combined.
6. Pour the batter into prepared spring-form pan and spread into an even layer.
7. Make the streussel topping by combining the flour, rolled oats, butter and sugar in a small bowl. Use your finger tips to work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture.
8. Layer the apples over the cake batter and sprinkle with the streussel topping.
9. Bake 50-60 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Apple Cheddar Scones + Tillamook Trip

Apple Cheddar Scones? Yes. They are amazing. The sweet, tart green apple and gooey, warm pockets of sharp cheddar are a match made in heaven. My husband always asks me where I get the inspiration for my recipes. For this particular recipe, the inspiration came from a brief visit to Oregon when I was lucky enough to attend an event hosted by Tillamook with a group of fellow food bloggers. We spent a lot of time eating cheese and ice cream together and this pregnant lady was very happy about all of that. I think I filled my calcium quota for the next 3 months. Aside from eating all of the things, we also learned a lot about how their company works. We met some of their key employees who work to make sure the products they put out on the shelves are of the highest quality. We were able to soak in the beauty that is the Oregon coast. And perhaps most importantly, we were able to make a personal connection with a company that has truly proven itself over and over again throughout the years. I didn't really have one specific company I looked to for cheese, ice cream, or yogurt, but now I do.

Seriously. So. Much. Cheeeeeeeese.

I'm convinced a huge reason for the balanced flavor and consistent quality of Tillamook's cheese is thanks to this guy:

This is Dale. He has been working at Tillamook for 45 years. Yep. You read that correctly. FORTY-FIVE YEARS. He knows what he is doing and takes his cheese very seriously. That's my kind of guy.

We were also able to visit Jill who is the Product Quality Manager. All I have to say is this: if I'm ever in a taste-testing competition I don't want to be up against her. Her taste buds are seriously talented. Yes, that's absolutely possible.

After our tour at the factory, we headed to the coast where we got to check out our room at the Inn at Cape Kawanda. If Brad and I get a chance to take a parents only vacation any time soon I want it to happen here. The rooms have gorgeous views of the ocean that are enchanting (perhaps more so) despite the heavy fog that settled over the area while we were there.

That night, we enjoyed a pretty amazing dinner on the ocean. And by dinner I mean I filled myself up on the incredible appetizers and didn't have room for an actual dinner. I mean, look at these oysters. Those plus a cheese plate, some amazing fritters, and clam chowder were enough to send me over the edge.

Of course, I had plenty of room for dessert: Tillabars. Oh man. Enjoying one of those while sitting around a campfire with a group of talented women who I grew to greatly admire with a pretty incredible ocean backdrop was just about perfect.

The following day, I woke up early to sit on the balcony, drink some coffee, and enjoy my last look at the view from my room. It was lovely.

Then, we visited one of the Tillamook dairy farms and spent some time with a lot of these ladies:

They were super curious, especially when my baby bump got close enough to the fence. It is possible that I flew home that night with a big, muddy cow nose print on my shirt directly over my belly button.

Here's the deal: running a dairy farm, or any farm for that matter, is a lot of work. The family who ran this particular farm were incredible. They love the cows and are full of knowledge about how to take care of their cows starting at birth. I am still in total awe of their dedication and ability to dedicate their lives to these animals.

Needless to say, I fell in love with Oregon thanks to this Tillamook Blogger Summit.

And I fell even more in love with their cheese.

And yogurt.

And ice cream.

When I came home, I went straight to Costco and bought a huge block of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar and got to work using it in any way I could imagine. These scones are my favorite thing so far. They are full of fall flavor thanks to the apples and a little sprinkle of nutmeg with pockets of gooey, melty cheese in each bite.

Tillamook sharp cheddar is really the best choice for cheese in this recipe. The sharpness is key. No mild or medium cheddar here, folks!

Apple Cheddar Scones

Serves 8

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and use your hands to work it into the dry ingredients until it resembles wet sand with some pieces remaining pea-sized.
4. Stir in the apple and cheese cubes and mix to coat them.
5. Stir in the heavy cream with a fork until the mixture is just combined.
6. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead together until there are no dry spots and the dough just comes together.
7. Pat into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.
8. Cut into 8 triangles and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
9. Bake for about 13 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Notes

This recipe is based on the cream scones recipe from Cook's Illustrated: Baking. If you don't own that book, GET IT NOW.

Healthy Baked Apples with Muesli Crisp (+ an announcement!)

I'm having a little love affair with breakfast. It's the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and I always want something hearty, sweet, and involving cinnamon in some way. These healthy baked apples with muesli crisp are the perfect solution. I'm going to eat them every day once apples are in season for real. It's gonna have to happen. With a dollop of creamy Greek yogurt sweetened with honey pleaseandthankyou.

It's good that I'm obsessed with something so wonderfully healthy because I seem to be putting on a little weight. Can you tell?

Yep! Baby #2 is growing in that there bump and it wants all the comfort food in the universe (seriously, all of it. send mashed potatoes and gravy). 

We are so happy and thankful to have had a relatively problem-free pregnancy so far and cannot wait to welcome a new little one into our family! Riley is beyond excited to be a big brother and I love it when he walks up to me to bury his face in my growing belly. Sometimes, in the sweetest little voice, he says "Hi baby" and I melt in a puddle on the floor.

Whew! I'm so relieved to get that out there.

Now I can bombard you with my woes about morning sickness and crampy legs and heartburn, right? No? Not so much? OK.

Let's get back to these baked apples...

Quite a while ago, the lovely folks at Seven Sundays in Minnesota sent me some of their delicious muesli and my love affair with this easy breakfast item began. I've eaten it soaked overnight, warmed, sprinkled over yogurt, and straight out of a bowl with milk. You really can't go wrong. I've decided that my favorite flavor is the Vanilla Cherry Pecan. Chewy dried cherries, buttery, crunchy pecans, and a hint of vanilla basically creates a perfect start to the day. And the perfect topping for baked apples.

I simply halved an apple and scooped out the core with a melon baller, then sprinkled each half with a little tiny bit of brown sugar (which it doesn't really need, to be honest) and topped that with the muesli. The dressed up apples baked for 30 minutes, concentrating their naturally sweet flavor and toasting the muesli to perfection. When they came out of the oven, I sprinkled a little cinnamon over the crisp and scooped a spoonful of creamy honey Greek yogurt in the middle of each apple. Heaven.

So, I'm going to continue stuffing these in my face because there's not a whole lot to feel bad about here.

You must make these. You MUST.

Healthy Baked Apples with Muesli Crisp

Serves 2

Total time: 35 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 apple (red delicious was, well, delicious...but use whatever you can find)
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
• 1/3 cup muesli (I used Seven Sundays Vanilla Cherry Pecan)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup honey or vanilla Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Begin by halving the apples lengthwise and scooping out the core (plus a little extra) with a melon baller.
3. Smear the butter evenly on each apple and sprinkle with the brown sugar.
4. Top with the muesli and bake for 30 minutes or until the apples are just tender but not mushy and the topping is golden.
5. Remove from the oven and transfer to serving plates.
6. Dollop with the Greek yogurt and eat immediately.

Apple Crisp with Maple Syrup & Pomegranate

For our first Thanksgiving in Japan, I made apple crisp. We didn't have an oven, so I ended up putting 2 very small pans of apple crisp in our fish oven which is essentially a tiny broiler. I cooked the apples on the stove-top, put them in 2 pans that would fit in the fish oven, and topped them with butter, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon. With the fish oven on it's very lowest setting, I carefully cooked the crisp until the topping was a splotchy golden brown and only burned in a couple spots. I was pretty pleased that I didn't burn our tiny apartment right to the ground.

Let's just say that I don't take my apple crisp for granted these days. It's always been one of my favorite desserts, but after finding out how difficult apple crisp was to replicate in Japan, I seem to have grown even more fond of it. Having a regular sized oven that cooks more than a single fish is helpful, too.

If you're in charge of bringing a dessert for Thanksgiving, this is a great option. It's easier than making a pie but just as delicious. The addition of maple syrup and bright pomegranate seeds makes it a feast for the eyes as well as the tummy.

Apple Crisp with Maple Syrup & Pomegranate

Ingredients

• 5-6 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch slices(I prefer a combination that includes granny smith and another sweeter variety)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 stick of cold butter, cut into 12 slices
• Maple Syrup
• Pomegranate Seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. Add the apple slices and toss to combine.
3. In another bowl, combine the oats with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Add half of the butter, using your fingers to work it into the dry ingredients until almost completely incorporated (you shouldn't have many dry places).
5. Next, spread the apples in a buttered baking dish and top with the oat topping.
6. Place the remaining butter slices over the topping.
7. Bake until the top is golden and crisp and the filling is bubbly, about 35-45 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and allow the crisp to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
9. Serve topped with maple syrup and pomegranate seeds.