Tuesday's Tidbit~Apple Love

Red, green, yellow...Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Gala...how I love apples and with Fall quickly approaching in just a few short days, Apples are on my mind! Fall is my favorite and just sitting here, I can smell the cinnamon goodness that fills the air and imagine the leaves falling, crisp mornings and evenings, and pumpkins galore.

For this month's Tuesday Tidbit, I found three apple recipes that I had to share. I have already made two of them. We are hitting the apple orchard Friday, so there will be even more apple possibilities. Happy Tuesday!

Apple Napoleons

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons sugar
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
All-purpose flour, for work surface
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick wedges
2 cups sweetened whipped cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar. Place pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture. Carefully roll out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out eight 3 inch squares, and place on a parchment- lined baking sheet. Cover with more parchment and another baking sheet. Chill in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake pastry in oven until crisp and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Remove top parchment and baking sheet. Transfer, with bottom parchment, to a wire rack, and let cool.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Add apples; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add remaining cinnamon mixture. Cook until apples are tender but not falling apart. Let cool completely. To assemble, top the pastry with whipped cream then apples; repeat with another layer of each. Serve immediately.

Apple Crumb Pie

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 pounds Granny Smith apples (8 to 10)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pie Crust (see recipe below)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour, butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Work with fingers until large clumps form; freeze.
On a lightly floured piece of wax paper or parchment paper, roll dough into a 14-inch circle. Carefully fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, gently lowering dough into bottom and sides of pie plate without stretching (you will have a 2-inch overhang all around). Refrigerate.
Place lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel, core, and slice apples 1/8 inch thick, transferring them to the bowl as you work. Add granulated sugar, raisins, cinnamon, remaining 1/4 cup flour, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss to combine. Transfer apple mixture to pie crust, pressing in firmly. Fold dough overhang over filling, pleating it as you work your way around pie; press dough firmly against filling.
Bake 45 minutes, then sprinkle apple filling with crumb topping. Continue to bake until golden and bubbling, 30 to 45 minutes more. Cool at least 6 hours before serving.

Apple Butternut Squash Soup

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 red or golden apples, peeled, cored, and chopped, plus 1 apple, finely diced and tossed in lemon juice, for garnish (optional)
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
2 1/2 cups water, plus more if needed
1 jalapeno chile, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
Sour cream, for garnish (optional)



Directions
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add squash, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add apples, salt, cumin, coriander, ginger, cayenne, black pepper, stock, and the water (just enough to cover). Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes.
Puree in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth, and return to saucepan. Heat over low, thinning with more water if necessary. To serve, ladle into shallow bowls; garnish with diced apples, jalapeno slices, and sour cream if desired.