Kale Apple Cake

This cake was very pretty, but the taste was rather bland. Maybe it was because I used homemade applesauce which isn’t sweetened. The frosting with applesauce was a nice touch, though, and I might use it on something else.

Chai Banana Bread

I used this recipe but did not add the icing. I used a mix of raisins, dried cranberries, and dried apples.

Applesauce Pie

I’ve made a lot of apple pies, but always from fresh apples. So when I was asked to make an apple pie using frozen apples which had been grown this summer, I instead opted for some homemade applesauce so I could make an applesauce pie. The site where I got this recipe from originally is now defunct, but this one is similar.

I reduced the butter by half, increased the applesauce slightly, and used three eggs because my host’s chickens lay eggs that are a bit smaller than commercial ones.

Sharlotka

I found a good use for the rest of the bounty of apples I received in the autumn: sharlotka. What’s nice about this is that it’s mostly apple with a bit of batter: more fruit, less sugar.

Rose Cordial Apples

I started with this recipe, but used a rose cordial rather than rosewater, and left out the pistachio.

Baked Apples with Pumpkin Caramel

I still have a lot of apples left, so I decided to make baked apples with pumpkin caramel. In place of rye sourdough I simply used a rye-wheat that I often have on hand. I also made it vegan by using coconut oil in place of butter, replacing the double cream with oat cream, and skipping the sour cream.

Red Cabbage Juice

So many people start the new year with new resolutions, like going to the gym or juicing. Not me, I try things any time. The juice  I’m presenting today is something I tried in October.

The taste of this was surprisingly good (especially given my dislike of cabbage), although I added a few drops of liquid stevia to it. Unfortunately I don’t have a juicer and my blender left rather too much pulp for me to actually drink it as a smoothie. Instead I had to put it in a strainer and extract the juice that way.

Macedonian Stewed Apples

I made this dish based on a lovely dessert I had. Firm apples are stewed over low heat in a bit of honey, water, vanilla and lemon juice until they are cooked and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Serve chilled, topped with chopped nuts (I used almond, the restaurant used walnut). It is very sweet and a little goes a long way. The apples and sauce are also delicious when served with thick Greek yoghurt.

This is what I was aiming for when I tried the Greek apple preserves.

Greek Apple Preserves

I was trying to replicate a dish I tasted in Macedonia, but this wasn’t it. I cut my apples into chunks instead of using whole apples because they were large apples, and I didn’t bother to include almonds.

When I made this dish in October, I had my window open to keep it from steaming up and a leaf floated in. I thought it deserved to be included in the picture, as this is a very autumnal dish.

Apple Dumplings

I was thinking of plum dumplings, but since I have a glut of apples I decided to modify the recipe to use apple. Instead of using a leavened biscuit dough I used a pie crust dough. Mine was made with butter and flour, but it could easily be made vegan by using margarine instead. I chose a firm apple and peeled it, then cut it into chunks. I cut each chunk several times, not completely through, in order to reduce the cooking time. Meanwhile I brought a pot of salted water to boil. Each chunk of apple was encased in dough, then I cooked several dumplings at a time in the boiling water for five minutes. I served them with sugar and cinnamon.