Consider this the warm hug of breakfast foods. We prefer Gala apples over other varieties because they hold their shape when cooked, but any type will work.
Richard Fontaine, chef of Restaurant La Grange de St-Charles in the town of St-Charles-sur-Richelieu, Que., wedded apples with maple in this creamy sugar pie. Granulated maple sugar is widely available in Quebec and sweetens without overpowering the apples. Elsewhere, light brown sugar is a good substitute.
When leaves begin to change colour in the fall, it's a reminder that freshly picked apples are in abundance. Serve a slice of this classic treat topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Apple strudel, or Apfelstrudel, hails from Austria. Traditionally, strudel is made with a very delicate homemade dough that's stretched by hand. Our fabulous phyllo pastry version retains the authentic flavours, and is much easier to make.
Adding fresh apples to this muffin batter is a nice way to incorporate fruit in a baked treat. Dried cranberries add a touch of tartness, but you can use raisins or any other dried fruit.
On Thanksgiving weekend The Village at Blue Mountain, Ont., fills with the fragrance of freshly baked apple pies. For this Quintessential Apple Pie Contest, bakers from this apple-growing region that rings Georgian Bay carry their pies – double crust, single crust, lattice top, streusel and more – to the judging tables. Baking enthusiast Brenda Hall of Collingwood, Ont., took first prize with this pie, which she called “Grandma Thompson's,” a classic double-crust pie that's not too sweet but full and juicy with freshly harvested local McIntosh apples. For a fall pie, re-roll the pastry scraps and cut out maple leaves to arrange over the top crust.
We love baking apples into our desserts, but we’re not stopping there! Indulge in this savoury recipe which the fall-favourite fruit star.
Beets are a novel but beautiful ingredient in chutney. Their sweetness marries deliciously with apples and helps counter the acidic thrust of the vinegar.
Weekends are the perfect time for baking a special dessert – especially when it's as easy and spectacular as this. If the apples are large, you can reduce them to two. To make your own pastry, see Quick Puff Pastry.
Cream cheese and macerated fruit sandwiched between streusel makes for delicious mouthfuls. For best results, use light-coloured dried apples.
