apples | Not Just Sunday Dinner

Arugula and Apple Salad

We had a wonderful weekend with family and friends, celebrating my grandson’s first birthday. But, time, please slow down! It is hard to believe that a year has passed so fast.

You hear how amazing grandchildren are, but it’s just like anything else. You don’t get it until you are in those grandparents’ shoes.

If you live long enough, the best years of your life will change through the years. I remember when it was high school, then our young married years, which transitioned to the years when our children were at home, and now I can add this past year to that list. It all adds up to a wonderfully blessed life!

So, I know I just shared a salad recipe, but y’all, it’s just too hot to do a lot of cooking. Salads are perfect for this time of year. Savannah made this fantastic salad for me over the weekend. When she mentioned preparing dinner, she had me at arugula! Arugula can be hard to find around my house, but I love the peppery flavor. This salad was terrific, topped with juicy chicken, Honeycrisp apples, and goat cheese!

Savannah likes to use this easy chicken recipe for many meals, including pasta dishes, wraps, or by itself.

Print Pin

Arugula and Apple Salad

Course Salad

Servings 4

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

4 ounces arugula
2 Honeycrisp apples sliced
1/4 cup candied pecans
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/8 cup red onion sliced
Dressing:
1 lemon juiced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or more to taste)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Juice Chicken:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2-3 tablespoons avocado oil

Instructions

Start by preparing the juicy chicken. Preheat oven to 400℉. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add avocado oil.
Season chicken on both sides with garlic powder, paprika, lemon pepper and salt. Add to hot pan and cook on first side for about 5 minutes or until nice and crispy. Turn chicken and then pop into the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until juice run clear. Remove to cutting board to rest a few minutes.
Prepare the dressing while the chicken is cooking. Whisk together the lemon juice, oil, honey and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Add arugula to a large salad bowl. Top with sliced apples, pecans, goat cheese and red onion.
Slice chicken and add to the top of salad.
Pour over dressing and toss to combine.
Serve immediately.

Apple Crumb Cake

apple crumb cake

We are on the brink of my favorite time of the year. With a few cooler days, I am already itching for sweater weather! My first pot of chili has already been made. Now I’m all about pumpkins and my favorite fall fruit, apples!

I love a good apple, and cooking with them takes the flavor to a whole nother level! From apple pies and cakes, applesauce and apple butter, to this wonderful apple crumb cake. They are simply perfect!

Choosing an apple to cook with can be a bit baffling. There seems to be a new variety every season. Granny Smith, Fuju, Golden Delicious, and Jonathan are always perfect for baking, but I tend to use Honeycrisp if I have made a trip to the apple house for Mutzu. With over 2500 types available in the US alone, many will work well for cooking and baking.

Print Pin

Apple Crumb Cake

Course Breakfast

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

Streusel:
1 cup light brown sugar packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
3/4 cup full fat sour cream
1 large egg beaten
2 cups peeled and diced apple

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉. Prepare baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or paper liners in muffin tin sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
To make the Streusel: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the flour with brown sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces and mix at medium-low speed until the mixture resembled coarse meal; continue mixing the streusel until very small clumps form. Transfer the streusel to a large plate and refrigerate until it is well chilled, about 10 minutes.
To make the cake: In the mixer bowl, combine the flour with granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add the butter pieces and beat at low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the sour cream and beaten egg and beat until the batter is smooth. Add the diced apples and beat just until incorporated.
Pour into baking pan or scoop in muffin tins. Press the streusel into clumps and sprinkle on top. Bake in pan for about 45 minutes and muffins for about 30 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly before serving.

French Apple Tart

french-apple-tart

Our oldest child, Wes, can finally see the light at the end of the “college tunnel.” He just completed his fourth semester of French. He had to take in a French dish on the last day of class and asked me to make an old family favorite, Ina Garten’s French Apple Tart.

I decided to make two, one for him and one to keep at home. This dessert is quite impressive and requires very little effort. It looks like something you might see in a French pastry shop. The tender, flaky crust comes together in a food processor in no time and is the key to this fabulous dessert. The sliced apples are arranged beautifully over the crust. Then the entire tart is brushed with a glaze. This tart is a great weeknight dessert for the family but it’s also special enough to serve to guests.

French Apple Tart

Author:

Amye Melton

Ingredients

For the pastry:
2 c. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. sugar
12 tbsp. (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
½ c. ice water
For the apples:
4 Granny Smith apples
½ c. sugar
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced
½ c. apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
2 tbsp. Calvados, rum, or water

Instructions

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and plus just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll the dough, slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, true the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in ¼-inch thick slices Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (To make the arrangement beautiful, don't use the apple ends.) Sprinkle with the full ½ cup of sugar and dot with the butter.
Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it don't stick to the paper. (I remove the tart from the baking pan to another pan while it's still hot to prevent sticking.) Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.