From our Food Goddess, TaMara:
We have a city apple orchard. I’ve cycled by it for years, didn’t give it much thought except to wonder what the city did with them every year. This year I found out. Seems the weather has created a bumper crop so the city put out a reminder that these apples were there for everyone, they were pesticide free and please, please, please come pick some because there were so many they were breaking branches.
Photo from City of LongmontWe headed over and picked a few last weekend and I decided that apples would make the perfect topic for tonight’s recipe exchange. I’ve got some old favorites and some old favorites with a new twist, including tonight’s featured recipe, Caramel Apple Crisp, pictured at top.
Let’s start with one that is perfect around this time of year when mini chocolates abound, Baked Snicker Apples, recipe here.
Mouth-watering is the only way to describe, Mrs. J’s Famous Apple Pie, click here.
I have bourbon, I have apples, seems I need to make some Bourbon Bake Apples, recipe here.
Totally not apple related, the weekly menu this week was Spaghetti and Meat Sauce, recipes and shopping list here.
What’s on your menu? Now that the weekend means autumn is official, what are some of your favorite fall recipes?
For tonight’s featured recipe, I wondered what would happen if I added caramels to my favorite apple crisp. It was amazing. Great flavor without being too sweet. I reduced the sugars to adjust for the caramels. I’ll do this one again:
Cast Iron Caramel Apple Crisp
2 lbs apples – mix of sweet and tart (about 3 apples)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp granulated sugar
dash of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to taste
10 caramels, unwrapped
2 tbsps of creamTopping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup flour
10 inch cast iron skillet and small mixing bowlCore and cut apples into small pieces (about 1/2 inch). Peeling is optional, but with this method the peels cook nice and soft, so it isn’t necessary.
Melt butter in skillet, add apples and sugar, stir until apples are well coated. Cover and cook on medium heat until apple mixture is soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally. About 20-30 minutes.
While the apples are cooking, melt the caramels and cream over medium heat, stirring until smooth. If you spray the pan with cooking oil before melting caramels, cleanup is easier. Pour over apples just before adding crumble mixture.
In mixing bowl, stir together butter, sugar, flour and oats, mix until crumbly. Crumble over the apple mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes in a 400 degree oven, just until top is crispy golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes and serve warm.What makes this so good is that because the apples are cooked on the stovetop, you can use a much higher heat in the oven and get a good, crisp top without drying the whole mixture out or under cooking the apples. Really, this is one of the best apple crisps I’ve made.
Alternately, if you don’t have an oven-proof skillet, you can transfer the cooked apple mixture to a glass baking dish, add topping and bake that way.
No Bixby Diary this week, I’ll make up for it next week. Until then….TaMara
raven
Get off your ass and get one.
Roger Moore
@raven:
Word.
Rich Gardner
Very sad to read of a group of young Iranians who danced to the song “Happy” and were sentenced by Iranian authorities for, y’know, having males and females dancing together and for the women not wearing chadors, etc. It really helps when two countries are in each others news and there are ways in which the regular people of both countries can identify with each other. Too bad Iranian authorities couldn’t see that.
Gary
Hope you know that the right way to pick apples is to twist, not pull. If you pull, you pull of the spurs that will make next year’s crop.
Mnemosyne
@Rich Gardner:
Interesting twist, though:
It must really suck to be Iran’s president, because everyone in the country knows that the religious authorities are the ones really in charge and they can basically undermine you at every turn.
p.a.
@Rich Gardner: The Iranian authorities DID see that.
Mnemosyne
Since this is a food thread, has anyone ever tried the FODMAPs elimination diet? Had any luck with it? I know I react to at least one of the groups (sugar alcohols) plus I’m lactose intolerant (which is in another group), so the dietician at work thinks I should try and and see if I’m sensitive to anything else.
skerry
@Mnemosyne: I haven’t tried it, but it was suggested to me just last week. I’d be interested to see what people think about it.
Rich Gardner
Yeah, the Iranian authorities had it right, it’s their religious guys that messed it up for them.
Sorry ’bout messing up the food thread.
Violet
@Mnemosyne: Given your intestinal issues, I thought you might be interested in these posts:
http://drbganimalpharm.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-n1-pre-and-post-microbiome-digestion.html
and
http://drbganimalpharm.blogspot.jp/2013/11/how-to-cure-sibo-small-intestinal-bowel.html
I’ve been working hard on increasing my intake of fermented foods and initially it set off my sinuses big time. Then all of a sudden it didn’t. I even flew last week and had no troubles, which is unusual for me. I took my sinus spray and some sudafed but didn’t need any of it. Ferments are step one and I’ve added in resistant starch as well (step 2).
Don’t know if you’re using any fermented foods but they can really kick up the bacterial activity in your gut and help heal it.
Violet
On topic with apples, I’m going to attempt a fermented apple kvass using this recipe as a template. I bought some organic apples today and will give it a go. Supposed to take no more than 48 hours. We’ll see.
Villago Delenda Est
@Rich Gardner: The Iranian religious authorities are fuckheads of the Pat Robertson/James Dobson variety, who in a just universe would be boiled in oil for their utter assholishness.
Also, too, no delicious bourbon laced deserts for them!
Mnemosyne
@Violet:
As far as I can tell, the reason for FODMAPs is that I’m getting too much fermentation in my gut and need to reduce it. They generally don’t recommend introducing fermented foods until you get past the initial elimination diet to figure out which FODMAPs you’re sensitive to.
Mnemosyne
@Violet:
Also, the SIBO/IBS connection seems to be a little more complicated than often gets reported on the internet:
mai naem mobile
I don’t know if the apples were tart but you can substitute tart apples for unripe mangos in indian mango chutney. It can be used sparingly as a relish. Its made by cooking chopped or coarsely shredded apples with cayenne pepper, salt, a little sugar, cumin, and black mustard seeds . It’ll stay good for a long time refrigerate d
Violet
@Mnemosyne: To answer your initial question, yes I’ve known people who have done FODMAPs. I’ve suggested it to others, although most haven’t followed through. The people who have done it have had some measure of success, although not long term success. It is recommended not to do it on your own but to work with a dietician or someone who knows how to do the elimination/re-introduction properly.
My gastroenterologist has his own version of FODMAPs–there are a few differences in his approach. I’ve done his elimination diet and had some good results. It is hard to stay on it though. Elimination diets can be really helpful but also challenging to follow. Some of the things you are eliminating are in everything. Eating out can be a minefield.
As for the fermentation issue, yes, you are correct that that’s the goal of FODMAPs, at least as I understand it. Fermentation in the gut rather than digesting the carbs is the issue that causes the gut problems.
There is some current research into the microbiome regarding various bacteria used to digest some of those types of carbohydrates and their presence–or not–in the gut. Some of the problems people have with digesting certain types of carbs within the FODMAPs list may be because they lost the bacteria that digest it. That can happen for various reasons but antibiotics are usually a culprit.
Another way of looking at the FODMAPs issue is to think about re-populating the gut with the necessary bacteria to digest the carb class–or the subclass–that causes you problems. Like you might have a problem with FOS but not GOS, but they’re both oligo-saccharides class. That may be able to be done via probiotics and prebiotics. Some people are having very good success with turning the issue on its head and moving in that direction.
Violet
@Mnemosyne:
As for this:
is there a link to the “recent study”? Where does he get his estimate? Is that just his WAG or is he basing that on some clinical observations or other measurable studies?
I don’t know about SIBO and IBS but your rosacea is what made me think of SIBO. I took the antibiotics last year for SIBO, it cleared the rosacea and it is still gone, so it worked for me. I’m working re-populating my gut post-abx. IBS wasn’t my problem (I’m lucky). My issues were related to gut problems but didn’t present in the gut. Doesn’t mean I didn’t have/don’t still have gut problems though.
Violet
I just put together the apple kvass I mentioned above. Will report back in a day or so if it has done anything.
Mnemosyne
@Violet:
One of the reasons I’m suspicious about the rosacea connection for myself is that I was first diagnosed with that when I was 19, which is at least 10 years before you’re “supposed” to get it, and I probably had it for at least 3 or 4 years before that (if not longer). So I’m a little skeptical that there’s a “cure-all” for something I’ve had for at least 30 years that I wasn’t even “supposed” to have so young.
They probably tested me for SIBO while they were in there for the endoscopy and I’m supposed to call for those results next week, so I guess we’ll see.
Betsy
That orchard is seriously being neglected if the branches are breaking because of the fruit load. The small fruit shoul dhave been thinned to 1 in 4 or so soon after it began to form.
Also, It also looks like it is not getting pruned. Just a few years of not pruning can ruin an apple orchard, with recovery pruning taking many years and ultimately it is better to just replant new trees and start over.
Finally, when amateurs pick apples they do awful things to the spurs, mainly by breaking them off. The spurs are supposed to last many years (they’re where the fruit and flowers come from) but when “guests” pick apples they generally destroy the spurs, impairing the crop for seasons to come.
I hope someone takes things in hand a little better with the city orchard. It would be a shame to lose something like that through mismanagement and neglect. They need a horticulturalist or orchardist to oversee things properly.
Violet
@Mnemosyne: The standard test for SIBO is via breath test. It takes a few hours and you blow into this contraption every so often. I think they may be able to test via endoscopy, so maybe they did that for you. Guess you’ll find out.
I agree, there is probably not one genesis for rosacea for everyone. Only you can decide whether it’s worth pursuing a particular treatment.
I saw you mention migraines in the other thread. My gastroenterologist has this food elimination process that I mentioned. One of the categories is foods with tyramine. Apparently that is also a big migraine trigger. Not sure if you were aware of that but thought I’d mention it. I hated that category.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
Just for the record, I am not really a fan of Mae West.
Violet
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): Duly noted. Is the comment related to something in the thread or just a general comment? I missed the connection if there is one.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Violet: Just saying. TCM is in its second Mae West movie in a row. There doesn’t seem to be a late night open thread, so I put my thought here.
ETA: OTOH I just found video of a Clash concert in Paris from 1980, so life is good.
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
West is oddly old-fashioned in a lot of ways. They try to cover it up in her films by making them period pieces, but it now sometimes has the opposite effect when she plays opposite Cary Grant.
@Violet:
Pre-Code Fridays on TCM. They’re running She Done Him Wrong and I’m No Angel.
Violet
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): @Mnemosyne: Oh, okay! I’m kind of neutral on Mae West. I figured she was just of her era. But I see what you mean about being old fashioned.
I’m not watching TV. Been busy in the kitchen. I’m soaking oats for tomorrow’s breakfast. The apple kvass has already changed how it looks. Very interesting.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Mnemosyne: In the intro to the first movie, they talked about how she was still doing Vaudeville. Talking to the “audience” rather than making eye contact with her fellow actors. Projecting her voice to the back rows of the theatre. I don’t think she translated well to film.
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
Next week is the classic gangster three-fer: The Public Enemy (Cagney), Scarface (Muni), and Little Caesar (Robinson).
A little secret about Little Caesar that tends to not be emphasized by current critics: Rocco is gay. Watch it again and you’ll wonder how you missed it the first time.
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
Her films were very popular at the time because she was so notoriously scandalous — she was even too hot for Broadway and spent 10 days in jail on obscenity charges. For contemporary audiences, they were getting to see the famous routines they’d heard so much about. Without that decade of buildup and buzz, her act doesn’t work quite as well, IMO.
(Fix’d time a bit)
TaMara (BHF)
@Gary:
@Betsy:
Now that you guys say that, I’m wondering if the orchard was inherited by the city. The park is called Roger’s Grove, so maybe a remnant of that farm? I’ve never seen anyone do anything with those trees. :-(
Violet
@TaMara (BHF): Is there an orchard specialist that might be able to step in and help? Or a gardening organization that could partner to keep the orchard pruned? Maybe even help collect excess fruit for food banks? Something like that could be a win for everyone.
Mike J
@Violet:
Or a local uni / ag school. You can get smarts and labor from students.
TaMara (BHF)
@Violet:
@Mike J:
It’s gotten a lot of press lately, so maybe someone will take notice. Unfortunately for the foreseeable future, we are all pretty focused on flood repair from last year’s devastating flash floods. I’m surprised the trees survived that….they are only yards from the river bank.
TaMara (BHF)
LOL. The rotating tag line at this moment is, “just a few bad apples”
Not in my recipes, John Cole, not in my recipes.
mclaren
Apples, bourbon and caramel…throw a couple of drum majorettes in and you could have a kinky good time.