Nothing says fall like picking your own apples — and having more fruit than you know what to do with. Yes, pie is the obvious method to use up some Galas or Golden Deliciouses, but that’s likely to burn though only a half-dozen or so apples, if that.
“You’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve used five apples, and now I have, like, 20 more,” says Alex Baker, the chef at West Village brasserie Yves and a big fan of the fruit.
“When you eat an apple, you just feel so healthy,” she says. “Crunchy, sweet and sour, it just hits all the right notes.”
But, as with zucchini in the summer, putting all of autumn’s bounty to good use requires creativity and a willingness to think outside of the pie tin and tart pan.
There’s an “incredible range of textures you can get from apples, from super crisp to super gooey, depending on how they’re prepared,” says Wade Moises, executive chef at Rosemary’s Pizza, where he serves a ginger apple fizz for dessert. And, “apples naturally have [both] sweetness and acidity.”
Baker likes to showcase the fruit earlier in the meal.
“Savory applications are always fun and impressive to people,” says the chef, who recently added a gratiné side dish made with endive, onions and apples to her menu.
Here, she, Moises and other local chefs share fresh recipes for making the most of your pickings.
Onion, Apple and Fennel Gratiné
French onion soup was the inspiration for this hearty, seasonal side at Yves brasserie in the West Village. It’s “a little riff . . . it’s very fall-y,” says chef Alex Baker.
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 fennel, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp. Pernod
- 1 green apple, thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over low heat. Add onions, fennel and garlic and slowly cook, stirring frequently, for several minutes. When they begin to caramelize, add a splash of white wine and keep sweating the vegetables. Continue this process for about an hour, adding more wine as the pan becomes dry, until the onions and fennel become deep in color and almost mush. Season with salt, pepper and Pernod.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Assemble gratiné in four ramekins. Place a tablespoon of the onion-fennel mixture in the bottom of each ramekin, then top with an apple slice. Continue layering in this manner until ramekins are full, then top with Gruyere cheese. Cook in oven for 10 minutes; cheese should be slightly browned on top. Remove from oven. Garnish with thyme. Serves 4.
Apple Hazelnut Focaccia
It’s a “nice alternative instead of your typical pie or tart,” says Jessica Craig, the pastry chef at L’Artusi in the West Village, where this bread is served as a not-too-sweet dessert, topped with gelato. It would also work for a decadent brunch dish.
- 1 ball of store-bought pizza dough, preferably whole wheat
- 3 to 5 Honeycrisp apples
- 8 ozs. maple syrup, plus more for serving
- Enough olive oil to liberally coat bowls and pan (about ¹/₂ cup)
- ½ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
- Vanilla gelato for serving
Place dough in a large bowl that has been coated with ¼ cup of olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature until it doubles in size.
While the dough proofs, cut apples into long, thin slices, approximately ¼-inch thick. Then cut slices in half to create “apple shingles.” Place in a bowl and toss with maple syrup to coat evenly.
Once the dough has risen, fold its edges into itself and press out the air. Allow to relax for a half-hour, then stretch dough onto a well-oiled sheet tray. (Use a liberal amount of olive oil — about ¼ cup — to achieve a crispy bottom, and make sure you push the dough into the corners.) Dough should be no more than ½-inch thick.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Allow the dough to rest in the sheet tray for a half-hour, then arrange the apple slices on top in a shingle pattern, completely covering the dough.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, making sure to rotate the tray halfway through baking. Top with hazelnuts and gelato. Serve warm with additional maple syrup. Serves several people.
Caramelized Apples
“I love the simplicity of the dish. It really lets the apple shine,” says Thomas Raquel the executive pastry chef at Le Bernardin and Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, where this easy dessert is on the menu.
- 4 Gala apples
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 vanilla bean
- A pinch of salt
- Whipped cream for serving
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cut off both ends of each apple, then peel and remove the core with an apple corer, leaving the apple whole.
Slowly sprinkle sugar into the hot pan, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until you achieve a medium-dark caramel, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Then, deglaze with the butter and stir until smooth. Scoop seeds out of vanilla pod and stir in.
Pour the caramel into a square 8-inch baking pan, then place the apples directly on the caramel. Cover with aluminum foil, making sure the sides are tight so that no steam escapes. Bake for one hour, 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the apples over, cover with foil again and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool slightly, with foil still on, for 30 minutes. Transfer to individual plates and top with whipped cream. Serves 4.
Ginger Apple Fizz
“Apples and ginger are a natural combination that just works,” says Wade Moises, executive chef at the ever-popular Rosemary’s and the new Rosemary’s Pizza, both in the West Village. In this autumnal spin on an ice-cream float, “the spice of the ginger beer really balances well with the acidity and sweetness of the apples, and when you bring in the richness of the gelato, it’s just perfect.”
- 2 apples, preferably Honeycrisp or Winesap, cored, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of ground ginger
- 1 tbsp. melted butter
- 4 ozs. ginger ale
- 4 ozs. apple cider
- 2 scoops vanilla gelato
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss apples with salt, sugar, ginger and butter and spread on a baking sheet lined with foil.
Bake for five minutes. Stir and return to the oven and bake until caramelized and brown, about 5-7 minutes.
Place gelato in a pint glass. Top with the apples. Just before serving, pour in ginger beer and apple cider. Serves 1 to 2.
Apple mustard
“It’s almost like honey mustard, but it’s not like a honey mustard you’ve been served before,” says Will Edwards, the chef at Gertie, a luncheonette opening soon in Williamsburg. Try this slightly sweet condiment on pretzels, sandwiches and sausages.
- 10 apples of your choice, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite mustard, to taste
- Water, as needed
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Put apples and a few splashes of water in a Dutch oven with lid. Cook in oven for about an hour or until soft. Let cool slightly, than purée in a food processor to make a smooth applesauce.
Return applesauce to the Dutch oven and cook for another 2 to 3 hours, until it has changed from a light gold color to a rich brown. Check it periodically to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Remove from oven. Stir in mustard in ½-tablespoon increments to reach desired taste. Season with salt, and, if desired, a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. Thin with water if needed. Makes about 2 cups.
Apple and salty cheese salad
This simple salad is all about fresh ingredients in perfect combination. “You get the right balance of salty, sweet and sour,” says Will Edwards, the chef at Gertie, a luncheonette opening soon in Williamsburg.
- 1 Honeycrisp apple, cut into thin slices
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus a bit more for drizzling
- ⅓Cup of saba or balsamic vinegar
- A small wedge (about ½-inch thick) of hard, salty cheese, such as parmesan or pecorino
- Juice of one lemon
- 5 ounces bitter greens, such as arugula, mustard greens or watercress
Toss apple slices with lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the cheese into the same bowl, reserving a small amount of cheese to garnish the salad.
In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil and vinegar and salt to taste to make a dressing. Toss most of the dressing with the cheese and apples; it should seem a bit overdressed. Add in greens, and gently toss. Add additional dressing if needed and top with reserved cheese shavings. Serves 2 to 3.