Join the Conversation.

Create an Account

Summer Issue Out Soon!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Join the Conversation.

Create an Account

Summer Issue Is Out Now!

Find My Mag
Subscribe

The All-Purpose Apple

GO BEYOND ONE A DAY

In this Article

Share this article

Jump to Recipe

An apple a day might not keep the doctor away, but it does make for some incredible eats. Whether you’re in the mood for savory or sweet, a dessert or a main course, these recipes from Food Writer and Stylist Annie Rigg will convince you to make the adaptable apple a core component of your next gathering.

Wondering what apple is best for your recipe quest?

Believe it or not, apple varieties differ greatly in firmness, sugar content, and texture.

Cooking Apples (also called culinary apples)

It’s counterintuitive, but firm and sour are the way to go. Using a sweeter variety will bake into mush. You want a hardness and acidity that can tolerate high heat without losing its shape. Green Granny Smith are the gold standard for baking apples into fillings for pies and tarts. Empire, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Crispin, and Fuji also cook well.

For the recipes listed here that call for “crisp” or “firm” apples, any of the cooking apples are great choices.

Eating Apples (also called dessert apples)

These are the juicy Red and Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Pink Lady, and Gala apples that are a sweet, natural treat eaten raw.

PRINT

Slow-roasted Pork with Spiced Apple Relish & Cider Gravy

Servings: 6
A great pork loin with salty, crunchy, crackling is not only a thing of beauty, but a spectacularly good crowd pleaser. More often than not, you’ll be fighting hands away as you’re carving. Apples feature three ways in this dish: apple relish that’s cooked in the oven alongside the meat, in stuffing balls, and as a rich cider gravy.

Ingredients
  

For the Pork
  • 2 tsp. fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp. coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp. black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp. crushed dried chili
  • ½ tsp. dried oregano
  • 3 tsp. sea salt flakes, plus extra
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated
  • 6 ½ lbs. bone-in pork loin, make cuts along the backbone and across the skin
  • 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
Stuffing
  • 1 crisp eating apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely grated
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 fat garlic clove, crushed
  • 10 sage leaves, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp. fennel seeds
  • 3 cups good-quality sausage meat
  • ¾ cup fresh white breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup sliced pancetta, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper
Relish and Gravy
  • 2 cooking apples, peeled, quartered, and cored
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Pinch of crushed dried chili
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 2 cups dry cider
  • 1 Tbsp. all purpose flour
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Using a mortar and pestle, lightly crush the fennel, coriander seeds, and peppercorns. Add the chili, oregano, salt, garlic, and lemon zest and mix to a paste.
  • Push the mixture into the slits in the pork skin using your fingers. Place the pork, skin-side up, in a roasting pan and rub the skin with the olive oil. Season well with sea salt and pepper. Roast on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the skin starts to crisp. Once this happens, turn the oven down to 325°F and cook the pork for another 2 hours.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. Cook the onion in 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a frying pan until soft but not translucent. Add the garlic, cook for another minute, then tip into a bowl to cool.
  • Add the remaining ingredients to the garlic and onion. Using clean hands, combine thoroughly.
  • Roll the mixture into 12 to 16 evenly sized balls. Arrange on a baking tray, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the relish. Place the apple quarters in a small roasting pan. Dot each slice with a bit of butter, sprinkle with sugar, add the cinnamon stick, chili, and nutmeg, and splash over 3 Tbsp. of the cider.
  • Cover the relish with foil and place in the oven next to the pork for about 25 minutes until the apples have reduced to a tender pulp. Remove from the oven, taste, and add a little more sugar if needed.
  • After your pork has roasted for two hours, remove the stuffing balls from the refrigerator and place them in the oven as well. Increase the heat to 425°F and let the stuffing bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The pork skin will continue to crisp again and the stuffing balls will turn golden brown. Transfer the pork and stuffing to a serving dish, cover with foil, and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
  • Pour the pork drippings into a saucepan over a gentle heat. Stir in the flour and the remaining cider. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and perhaps a little sugar to balance the acidity from the cider.
  • Slice the pork and serve with the apple relish, stuffing, and cider gravy.
PRINT

Smoky Apple & Pear Relish

Servings: 4 jars
This snappy, fruity relish is just the ticket to serve with a nutty hard cheese or cold cuts. Be sure to maintain a clean workspace and sterilize your jam jars by submerging them in boiling water for 10 minutes. This ensures your relish will set and store properly without any invading mold. Once made, keep jarred jam in a cool, dark cupboard to set before opening, then store in the refrigerator and use within 2 months. The unopened relish will keep for up to 6 months.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large dried and smoked chipotle chillies
  • 4 cooking apples, peeled and diced
  • 4 firm pears, peeled and diced
  • 1 ¾ cups cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ cups packed light brown or muscovado sugar
  • 3 large shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 ½ inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp. fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. sea salt flakes
  • 4 16 oz. jam jars

Instructions
 

  • Soak the chipotle chillies in a bowl of just-boiled water while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
  • Place the apple and pear chunks into a large stainless steel saucepan and add all of the other ingredients.
  • Drain the chillies, remove the stalks, and finely chop, seeds and all. Add to the pan and stir to combine. Set over medium-low heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook about 40 minutes, or until the fruit is very tender and the liquid is thick and syrupy.
  • Slide the pan off the heat and spoon the relish into the warm, sterilized jars. Seal with the lids and leave until cold before labeling.

Notes

TIP: Good things come to those who wait! The taste and quality only improve the longer you let it set; it’s recommended to keep your relish undisturbed for 1 month after jarring, but no harm done if you’re craving jam in a jiffy.
PRINT

Apple Caramel Crumb Bars

Servings: 12 bars
Everyone needs a recipe for apple crumble in their repertoire. The caramel really gives these bars a boost, but if you prefer natural sweeteners you can substitute maple syrup.

Ingredients
  

For the Base and Topping
  • ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup whole-grain spelt flower
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 medium egg yolk
  • 2 Tbsp. double cream or full-fat milk
  • ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 3 Tbsp. caramel or maple syrup
For the filling
  • 6 crisp eating apples
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup apple juice
  • 2 tsp. corn starch
  • Pinch of sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the filling first. Peel, core, and slice the apples directly into a large saucepan. Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, half the apple juice, and the salt. Cook half-covered over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the slices are just tender but not mushy.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch with the remaining apple juice. Stir into the apple pan and cook for just under a minute, until the mixture has thickened.
  • Slide the pan off the heat and leave the apples to cool to room temperature while you prepare the base and topping.
  • Grease your baking dish and line the base and sides with a large sheet of parchment. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  • In a food processor, add both flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse again until evenly mixed into the dry ingredients.
  • Add the rolled oats and pulse until everything starts to clump together. Move this mixture into a large mixing bowl.
  • In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk with the cream or milk, and add this to the crumble mix. Stir together using a palette knife and then your fingers until combined.
  • Spoon ¾ of the crumble mix into the prepared tin and press into an even layer with your hands to form the base. Bake on the middle shelf for about 15 minutes until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven.
  • Spoon the apple filling onto the base in an even layer. Drizzle with syrup, and scatter the walnuts and remaining crumble on top. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown and the apples are bubbling. Leave to cool completely before cutting into bars to serve.
PRINT

Apple Tarte Tatin

Servings: 6
Tarte Tatin is traditionally made with either puff pastry or a rich pie dough. This cream cheese version is not only just about the easiest pastry to make, it’s utterly delicious and more than capable of standing up to the punch of the caramelized apples.

Ingredients
  

Cream Cheese Pastry
  • 1 ⅓ cups flour, plus extra for dusting
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced
  • 1 cup full-fat cream cheese
  • Pinch of sea salt
Tarte Filling
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 6-8 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
  • Creme fraiche, to serve

Instructions
 

  • To make the pastry, put the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse for 5 seconds, just long enough to coat the butter pieces in flour. Add the cream cheese and pulse again until the butter and cream cheese have nearly been rubbed into the flour — you still want to see flecks of both.
  • Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly knead, then shape into a loose ball. Flatten this into a fat disc, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Smear the butter evenly over the base and sides of the frying pan, sprinkle with the sugar, then arrange the apple quarters in circles. Set the pan over a medium heat and cook the apples without stirring or moving for 8 to 10 minutes, until the butter and sugar have melted and started to caramelize. Check by carefully lifting one apple quarter and peeking at the underside, it should be tinged with golden brown caramel. Remove from the heat.
  • Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Roll out the pastry dough. Using a plate or pan as a guide, cut into a 12 to 14 inch disc, then trim the edges to neaten. Carefully lift and place the pastry over the apples.
  • Use a palette knife to carefully push the edges down into the pan around the inside rim, so that the apples are encased in a pastry pillow. Return the pan to a medium heat for 1 minute so that the pastry just starts to seal and cook around the edges, then slide onto the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown, crisp, and flaky.
  • Leave to cool in the pan, then run a palette knife around the edge to loosen. Place a serving plate on top of the pan and, holding the pan and plate firmly in an oven cloth, flip over so that the tart turns out onto the plate. Serve immediately with creme fraiche.

Notes

TIP: This recipe works best when prepared in a 10 inch cast iron or ovenproof frying pan.

Summer Berries & Autumn Fruits

ANNIE RIGG

120 Sensational Sweet & Savoury Recipes!

Annie Rigg is an established food writer and stylist based in the U.K. She’s written many cookbooks and styled over 150, covering a range of baking styles. Find her cookbook, “Summer Berries & Autumn Fruits,” on Amazon, and stay in touch on Instagram @annierigg or annierigg.com.

Excerpted from “Summer Berries & Autumn Fruits” by Annie Rigg. Copyright © 2017. Available from Kyle Books. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Photography: Tara Fisher

read more

DISCOVER

So Molly My

A line of accessories curated by Molly to celebrate every day in style.

Shop Now