CONTENTS

Page

Choosing apples 3

Varieties 3

Quality of apples 3

Storing apples 6

Brief storage 6

Longer storage 6

Recipes 6

Apples in the main course 6

Apples in salads 8

Apples in breads 9

Apples in cakes and cookies 10

Apples in other desserts 11

Other apple recipes 14

Index to recipes 16

APPLES
in appealing ways

Choose your favorite apple—a fragrant Winesap, a juicy Stayman, a tart Northern Spy ... each variety has its own appeal. And the versatile apple can lend flavor to your main course, salad, bread, or dessert.

An apple, eaten raw, makes a pleasant, low-calorie snack or dessert. A medium-size apple contains only 70 calories.

Like other fruits, apples contain some vitamins and minerals. Bottled or canned apple juice may be fortified with vitamin C.

In this publication, you’ll find useful facts about apples, recipes for many of your favorite apple dishes, and some new or unusual ways of preparing and serving apples.

CHOOSING APPLES

The large assortment of apples at retail markets provides a variety for every need. It’s a good idea to learn to recognize some of the most popular varieties. (See table, p. 4.)

Varieties

There are many good all-purpose apples, plus others especially suited for preparing in certain ways.

Apples that “go to pieces” when cooked are usually best for applesauce; those that keep their shape are best for baking whole. Tart apples are good for cooking; sweeter apples, for eating raw. Early summer apples are especially good in applesauce and pies because they’re likely to be juicy, tart, and quick-cooking.

Quality of Apples

Be sure to buy good-quality apples. Those that are mature when picked have the best flavor and texture. They should be firm and crisp, have a good color, and be free from defects.

Most apples are marketed by grade, and many retail packages show variety, grade, and size. U.S. grades for apples are U.S. Extra Fancy, U.S. Fancy, U.S. No. 1, and combinations of these grades. U.S. No. 2 is a less desirable grade. Apples from the far western States are usually marketed under State grades which are similar to Federal grades.

Fresh apples and other fruits can develop bruises, blemishes, or other defects because of poor growth or rough handling. They are sometimes available at bargain prices.

BN-32499, BN-32525
Red Delicious—fragrant, sweet, and an excellent choice for eating out of hand—combines well with other raw foods, as in cabbage-apple salad (p. 9).

BN-32141, BN-32459
Jonathan, one of many popular varieties that can liven up your general cooking, gives this cobbler a flavor boost. For the recipe, see page 14.

BN-32140, BN-32458
Tart, firm Rome Beauty is a classic choice for dishes such as baked apples that call for apples that retain their shape when cooked. The recipe is on page 11.

STORING APPLES

Only perfect apples should be stored for later use. Use apples with bruises, skin breaks, or decayed spots as soon as possible.

Brief Storage

Store slightly underripe apples for 2 weeks or less in a cool place, 60° to 70° F., to ripen.

Apples that are ripe enough for eating will keep in your home refrigerator for a week or longer. Place them in the humidifier compartment or in a moisture-resistant container, such as a polyethylene bag. Fruit needs some ventilation, however. The polyethylene bags in which apples are sometimes purchased have small holes. If you prepare your own bags for storing apples, cut a few scattered half-inch holes.

Longer Storage

Most varieties of apples will keep several months if stored at lower temperatures. Freezing will lower the quality of apples.

For directions on long-term storage of apples, see Home and Garden Bulletin 119, “Storing Vegetables and Fruits in Basements, Cellars, Outbuildings, and Pits.” Send your request on a post card to the Office of Information, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Please include your ZIP Code.

RECIPES

Here are some of the many ways to use apples—in the main course of the meal, in salads, in breads, in desserts, and in other ways. Let the table on page 4 guide you in selecting the best apple variety for each recipe. The flavor, texture, and juiciness of the finished product may vary slightly with the kind of apple used.

Commercially canned applesauce was used in developing the recipes that call for applesauce. If you use homemade applesauce in these recipes, it should be similar in sweetness and juiciness to commercially canned applesauce.

Raw apples may darken when the cut surface is exposed to air, especially if the fruit has touched the iron in a knife blade or chopper. Protect cut apples from darkening by mixing with fruit juice—lemon, orange, grapefruit, or pineapple—before adding other ingredients.

Apples in the Main Course

Mincemeat-apple filled peaches

8 servings

Mix apples, mincemeat, and marshmallows.

Place peaches in baking dish. Fill centers with apple mixture.

Pour a few tablespoons of the peach sirup into bottom of dish.

Bake at 375° F. (moderate oven) for about 20 minutes, until peaches are thoroughly heated. To serve, arrange peaches on platter around meat.

Apple stuffing

4 cups stuffing

Melt fat in a large frypan. Add onion, celery, and apples. Sprinkle with salt and sugar.

Cook, turning occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until apples are lightly browned.

Add bread cubes and toss gently to blend ingredients.

HOW TO USE

Pork shoulder with apple stuffing.—Sprinkle the inside of a 4-pound, boned fresh pork shoulder with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, as desired. Spread with stuffing. Fold meat over stuffing and skewer. Place on a rack, skin side up, in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 325° F. (slow oven) for about 2½ hours or until meat is tender and the juice is no longer pink.

Sweetpotato-apple casserole

6 servings, about ⅔ cup each

Arrange sweetpotatoes in a 2-quart casserole.

Blend remaining ingredients except bread cubes and fat. Pour over sweetpotatoes.

Mix bread cubes with fat and sprinkle over apples.

Bake at 375° F. (moderate oven) until liquid is bubbly and bread cubes are lightly browned.

NOTE: You may omit canned sweetpotatoes, apple pie filling, and ¼ cup liquid. Instead, use 2 cups cooked sweetpotatoes and 2½ cups tapioca apples (p. 14).

Panned apple wedges

6 servings, about ½ cup each

Melt fat in a large frypan over moderately low heat. Mix lemon juice with apples and pour into pan. Sprinkle with sugar.

Brown apples lightly on both sides, turning once.

If apples are not tender, cover and cook over low heat a little longer.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Panned apples are especially good served with pork, ham, fried chicken, or sweetpotatoes.

Or, fill halves of baked, seasoned acorn squash with panned apples.

Apples in Salads

Jellied apple-nut salad

6 servings, about ⅔ cup each

Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water.

Add cold water, lemon juice, and salt.

Chill until slightly thickened.

Stir remaining ingredients into the gelatin.

Chill until firm.

VARIATION

Waldorf salad.—Omit gelatin, water, and lemon juice. Use 2½ cups apples. Mix all ingredients, and blend in ¼ cup salad dressing or mayonnaise. Makes 6 servings, ½ cup each.

Chicken- or turkey-apple salad

6 servings, about ¾ cup each

Combine ingredients; mix well.

NOTE: If preferred, moisten the salad with french dressing and omit the mayonnaise or salad dressing.

VARIATIONS

Pork-, ham-, or veal-apple salad.—Use one of these cooked meats instead of poultry.

Tunafish-apple salad.—Use 13- or 14-ounce can of tunafish instead of poultry.

Cheese-apple salad.—Omit the poultry. Use 3 cups of apples in the recipe and add 1 cup diced cheese.

Apple-fruit combinations

For a tasty and colorful salad, fruit cup, or dessert, combine apples and other fruits, cut or sectioned. For a salad, use large pieces, drain the fruit, and place on greens. For a fruit cup or dessert, use smaller pieces and add a little fruit juice.

To make six ½- to ⅔-cup servings, try one of these combinations:

• 1 banana, 1 cup pineapple tidbits, 2 apples.

• 1 cup strawberries, 2 oranges, 2 apples, ½ cup marshmallow bits.

• 1 cup cranberry sauce, 2 oranges, 2 apples.

• 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 cup dark sweet cherries, 2 oranges.

Carrot-apple salad

6 servings, ⅔ cup each

Combine ingredients and mix well.

Cabbage-apple salad

6 servings, ½ cup each

Combine ingredients and mix well.

Apples in Breads

Apple spice muffins

12 muffins

Add milk to egg; stir in fat.

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly; stir in apples and raisins.

Add liquid mixture and stir just until most of the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix; batter should be lumpy.

Fill greased muffin tins two-thirds full.

Bake at 400° F. (hot oven) 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Apple coffeecake

9 servings, 3 by 3 inches each

Blend together the brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, butter or margarine, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, combine sugar, shortening, and egg; beat thoroughly. Stir in milk.

Mix 1½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt thoroughly; stir into egg mixture just until smooth.

Spread half the batter in a greased 9-inch square pan; cover with half the apples; top with half the brown sugar mixture. Repeat.

Bake at 375° F. (moderate oven) for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake is set.

NOTE: If preferred, put all the batter in the pan at once. Arrange apples on top of the batter and sprinkle with brown sugar mixture.

Apples in Cakes and Cookies

Applesauce drop cookies

Makes 5 dozen

Beat fat and sugar together until creamy. Beat in the egg.

Combine and thoroughly mix all dry ingredients except rolled oats. Stir into creamy mixture until blended.

Stir in applesauce. Stir in raisins and rolled oats.

Drop by teaspoonfuls greased baking sheet.

Bake at 375° F. (moderate oven) about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Applesauce Filling or topping

For two 8-inch cake layers or a 9- by 12-inch cake

Blend dry ingredients in a saucepan. Stir in applesauce.

Cook over moderate heat until thick, stirring as needed to prevent sticking.

Cool. Spread on cake.

Sprinkle with nuts, if desired; or add whipped cream or whipped topping before serving.

VARIATIONS

Coconut-applesauce filling.—Omit nuts. Mix ⅔ cup coconut with cooked filling. Or sprinkle coconut on top of filling on cake.

Broiled dessert.—Spread hot cake with warm filling and sprinkle with the nuts or coconut. Place under a hot broiler for a few minutes until lightly browned.

Fudgy applesauce cake

9 servings, 3 by 3 inches each

Beat fat and sugar together until creamy; beat in eggs.

Combine dry ingredients and mix well. Add nuts.

Add dry ingredients to creamy mixture with the applesauce and milk. Stir only until blended.

Pour into a greased 9-inch square baking pan.

Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) about 45 to 50 minutes or until surface is firm when touched lightly.

Cool before cutting.

Applesauce cake

9 servings, 3 by 3 inches each

Beat fat and sugar until creamy and fluffy; beat in the egg thoroughly.

Mix dry ingredients together.

Stir dry ingredients into creamy mixture alternately with applesauce until well blended. Stir in raisins and nuts.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-inch square baking pan.

Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) for 50 to 55 minutes or until cake leaves sides of pan.

Cool in pan on rack.

NOTE: Sift a tablespoon of confectioner’s sugar on top of warm cake, if desired.

Apples in Other Desserts

Baked apples

6 servings

Core apples without cutting through the bottom end. Peel about one-third of the way down. Place in baking dish.

Mix remaining ingredients except fat and water; fill centers of apples. Dot filling with fat. Pour water into baking dish.

Bake at 375° F. (moderate oven) about 45 to 60 minutes or until apples are tender. If apples seem dry, baste frequently with liquid in pan.

NOTE: After baking, top each apple with a marshmallow, if desired, and return to oven until marshmallows are lightly browned.

Or top with cream cheese softened with cream or milk and beaten until fluffy.

VARIATION

Pineapple- or cranberry-baked apples.—Omit apple filling. Instead, fill apples with canned, crushed pineapple or whole cranberry sauce. Top each apple with 1 teaspoon sugar and dot with butter or margarine.

Apple-cheese dessert

6 to 8 servings

Fill a 9- or 10-inch piepan or shallow baking dish with apples; sprinkle with lemon juice and ½ cup of the sugar.

Mix remaining sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Mix in fat until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese. Spread over apples.

Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) about 45 minutes or until apples are tender.

NOTE: Serve warm or cold. Serve with table cream or ice cream, if desired.

Applesauce

6 servings, about ½ cup each

Cook apples in the water in a covered saucepan for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. Add additional water, if needed to prevent sticking.

Mash undrained, cooked, pared apples or put unpared ones through a food mill or sieve. Stir in sugar.

NOTE: Applesauce will vary in texture, juiciness, and tartness with the variety of apple used.

Lemon applesauce, spicy applesauce, raisin applesauce, three tasty variations of an old favorite.

VARIATIONS

Honey applesauce.—Sweeten the applesauce with honey instead of granulated sugar.

Spicy applesauce.—Cook 2 sticks of cinnamon with apples. Remove cinnamon before mashing or sieving cooked apples.

Raisin applesauce.—Add ¼ cup raisins to the hot applesauce.

Lemon applesauce.—Add a little lemon juice to applesauce if needed for tartness. Garnish with lemon slice and sprig of mint.

Applesauce chiffon pie

9-inch pie

Mix the egg yolks, applesauce, ginger, cinnamon, milk, lemon juice and rind, and half the sugar.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens.

Sprinkle gelatin on water; let stand a few minutes.

Add gelatin to the hot mixture; stir until dissolved. Cool until thick but not set.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt and beat until stiff. Add rest of sugar slowly, beating constantly.

Blend egg white mixture with thickened gelatin mixture.

Pour into the pie shell and sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired. Chill until firm.

NOTE: Use only clean, sound-shelled eggs in this recipe.

Apple pie

9-inch pie

Fill a pastry-lined piepan with the apple slices. Blend dry ingredients and sprinkle over apples; dot with fat, if desired.

Cut a few slits in pastry top for steam to escape. Place it on the pie and seal edges.

Bake at 400° F. (hot oven) 45 to 60 minutes or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden brown.

VARIATIONS

French apple pie.—Sprinkle apples with ½ cup raisins. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Frost baked pie, if desired, with a mixture of ½ cup confectioner’s sugar and 2 to 2½ teaspoons water.

Cranberry-apple pie.—Use 1 cup fresh cranberries in place of 1 cup of the apples. Increase sugar to 1¼ cups.

Tapioca apples

6 servings, about ⅔ cup each

Mix sugar, tapioca, salt, and water in a large saucepan. Let stand while preparing apple slices. Then, bring tapioca mixture to a full boil, stirring to prevent sticking.

Add apples. Boil gently, covered, until apples are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

NOTE: Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve with plain or whipped cream, if desired.

VARIATION

Dessert apple slices.—Omit the tapioca. Do not stir apples while cooking.

Apple cobbler

6 servings

Pour tapioca apples into a 9-inch square pan.

Stir milk into biscuit mix. Roll dough to 6- by 10-inch rectangle.

Spread dough with fat and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll as for jellyroll, starting from short side.

Cut dough into 12 slices ½-inch thick. Arrange on tapioca apples.

Bake at 425° F. (hot oven) about 20 minutes or until biscuits are browned.

NOTE: Use one 20-ounce can of apple pie filling instead of tapioca apples, if desired.

Other Apple Recipes

Mulled cider

6 servings, about ⅔ cup each

Combine ingredients, except lemon slices, in a saucepan. Simmer covered for 20 minutes.

Remove spices. Serve hot with lemon slices, if desired.

VARIATION

Mulled apple juice.—Use canned or fresh apple juice instead of cider.

Apple-cranberry punch

10 servings, about ⅔ cup each

Combine cider and fruit juices; chill in refrigerator.

Add chilled ginger ale just before serving.

BN-32460
Hot mulled cider and a bowl of popcorn make a tasty snack for a chilly evening.

Cranberry-apple relish

Makes 1⅔ cups

Put fruit through food chopper, using fine blade.

Combine all ingredients.

Chill several hours before serving.

NOTE: Relish may be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

The following publications give additional ways to use apples. Single copies are available from the Office of Information, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Send your request on a post card, and be sure to include your ZIP code number in your return address.

INDEX TO RECIPES

Apples in breads

Apple coffeecake 9

Apple spice muffins 9

Apples in cakes and cookies

Applesauce cake 11

Applesauce drop cookies 10

Applesauce filling or topping 10

Broiled dessert 10

Coconut-applesauce filling 10

Fudgy applesauce cake 10

Apples in other desserts

Apple-cheese dessert 12

Apple cobbler 14

Apple pie 13

Apple-fruit combinations 8

Applesauce 12

Applesauce chiffon pie 13

Baked apples 11

Cranberry-apple pie 13

Dessert apple slices 14

French apple pie 13

Honey applesauce 13

Lemon applesauce 13

Pineapple- or cranberry-baked apples 11

Raisin applesauce 13

Spicy applesauce 13

Tapioca apples 14

Apples in salads

Apple-fruit combinations 8

Cabbage-apple salad 9

Carrot-apple salad 9

Cheese-apple salad 8

Chicken- or turkey-apple salad 8

Jellied apple-nut salad 8

Pork-, ham-, veal-apple salad 8

Tunafish-apple salad 8

Waldorf salad 8

Apples in the main course

Apple stuffing 7

Cheese-apple salad 8

Chicken- or turkey-apple salad 8

Mincemeat-apple filled peaches 6

Panned apple wedges 7

Pork-, ham-, or veal-apple salad 8

Pork shoulder with apple stuffing 7

Sweetpotato-apple casserole 7

Tunafish-apple salad 8

Other apple recipes

Apple-cranberry punch 14

Cranberry-apple relish 15

Mulled cider 14

Mulled apple juice 14

Prepared by
Human Nutrition Research Division
Agricultural Research Service

This is a Consumer Service of USDA

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1969 O—322-786

Transcriber’s Notes

• Silently corrected a few typos.
• Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.
• In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.