Waldorf Salad

I make this salad all the time. I love the tartness of the apples with the creamy mayonnaise and crunch of the walnuts. The salad was invented in the late 1800's at the Waldorf Hotel in NYC. You can always add chicken if you want to have it for more of a main course.


1/2 C mayonnaise
1 T sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
3/4 C thinly sliced celery
1/2 C chopped walnuts (or pecans work fine)

Whisk the mayonnaise, sugar and salt together. Cut up the apples and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Add the celery and nuts and then combine with the mayonnaise mixture. Chill until you are ready to serve. Bon Appetit!

Harvest Apple Cake

Big Chunks of Apples.

I wasn't sure how so many apples and so little batter would turn out,

but this might be my new favorite snack cake.

It Doesn't Need Frosting...

One more perk to this cake.

You can substitute applesauce for 1/2 of the oil.

The quantity of apples keep it beyond moist.

I found I was "trimming up the edges" as we say in our family TOO much.

It's THAT good.

Harvest Apple Cake:

2 eggs
1 c. oil - you can sub applesauce with great results
2 c. sugar
3 t. apple pie spice - which is just cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
4 c. apples, peeled, cored and seeded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil and sugar. Beat until light in color, about 2 minutes. Add spices, salt, vanilla and soda. Add apples and stir until incorporated. Add flour, stirring until just blended.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour. Mine took a bit longer - bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

You may garnish with whipping cream or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Bon Appetit!

***Chef's Note - I used canned apples, which come in a light juice. Somewhat hard to find, but I am sure fresh apples would work well also.

Apples in Phyllo

This is one of the tastiest desserts-- and not to mention looks pretty impressive for the little work you actually have to do. Phyllo dough is a bit finicky and sometimes likes to stick together. A bit of patience, as well as making sure the dough is kept covered with a slightly moist tea towel is important so it doesn't dry out and break. You can fill it with anything, but my favorite has to be apples. When I was in France, a good majority of the classic french pastries were baked with apples. So good.



Make sure you defrost the dough in the fridge overnight, or on the counter for a few hours before using it. You will use about half of the package for this recipe. You can use the full length or the dough for one large roll, or cut the phyllo in half to make 2 smaller rolls. Make sure to put the unused dough back in the fridge.


You will need:

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced


1/4 C white sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon juice
dash of salt
Combine the sugars and the salt and mix together with the apples. Set aside.

Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

For the phyllo sheets you will need:

1/4 C melted butter (you could use cooking spray as a low fat substitution instead of butter. I wouldn't want to, but it does work)
1/3 C bread crumbs (I prefer Panko, but regular works fine). The bread crumbs will absorb some of the moisture from the apples so the dough does not become soggy.

Lay down the first sheet of phyllo (keep the rest covered). Brush with a bit of butter (or spray with cooking spray) and then sprinkle with a bit of the bread crumbs. Place another sheet of phyllo on top and repeat the same process to use
a total of 10 sheets. If the sheets rip a bit when you are assembling the layers, it will still work out fine.


After you have all of your layers completed, spoon the apples onto the bottom long side of the dough, leaving a 2 inch border. (I like to use a slotted spoon so I don't get too much of the sugar juices that will make the dough soggy.) Carefully lift the bottom of the dough and roll over once to cover the filling and fold in the side edges. Continue to roll away from you, keeping the roll moderately tight, sealing the filling in and ending with the seam on the bottom. (sorry, I forgot to take a picture at this point)
Cut a few slits on the top, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden. Let cool before cutting and sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream if you like. Enjoy!

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Ina's Perfect Apple Crisp

This is my first choice when faced with the dilemma...

TOO MANY APPLES & NO ONE IS EATING THEM.

I haven't found it really matters what kind of apple you use. I've used Granny Smith's, Braeburn, Gala, Fugi and Golden Delicious - all with tasty results.

Today however we had an abundance of Braeburn & Gala apples.

This particular recipe has the perfect blend of spices and citrus juice, from your friend and mine...Ina Garten.

Ina's Perfect Apple Crisp:

3 lbs. apples, peeled & sliced
2 T. orange juice
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
*******

Topping:
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 c. oatmeal, quick or old fashioned
1/2 lb. butter, diced (You WON'T regret it...)

Mix apples with orange & lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside.

In bowl of mixer place all ingredients for topping and combine until it has a coarse sandy texture.

Pour apples into a 9x13 inch pan and gently cover with topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with whipping cream or enjoy it au natural.

Bon Appetit!