Our creative photographers, who each month capture images of the faces and places of our community, share their favorite apple recipes.
Apple Dumplings
Angela Rice, Shot From the Heart Photography
In addition to being a professional photographer, I’m also a local firefighter and paramedic with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services. As a firefighter, you have to know how to cook! We all take turns cooking, and you’re going to have an unhappy crew if you don’t have a few good meals up your sleeve. This is my favorite apple recipe, and has proven to be a favorite at every fire station I’ve been assigned to. Enjoy!
• 2-3 Granny Smith apples
• 2 8-ounce cans of crescent rolls
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Cinnamon to taste
• 1 12-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew
Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9-inch x 13-inch buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples and crescent rolls. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauce from the pan over the top.
Cider Pork Chops
Rebekah Gregg, Rebekah Gregg Photography
This is a family favorite recipe that originated from Southern Living magazine from the late 1990s.
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 (1-inch thick) bone-in pork chops
• 4 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup apple cider
Combine first 3 ingredients in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add chops. Seal and shake to coat. Remove chops, and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet; add chops, and cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned.
Grease a 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Place apples in bottom of dish; top with raisins, if desired, and sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange chops over brown sugar, and drizzle with apple cider.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until pork chops are done.
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Brittany Weir, Brittany Weir Photography
brittanyweirphotography.shootproof.com/
gallery/portfolio
I make this every year for my daughter, Amelia. She is a huge fan of cinnamon rolls, so this is a special treat for her.
Dough
• 1 cup milk (I use 2%)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, reserve ½ cup
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 envelope instant or rapid rise yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoon)
• 1 egg
Filling
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce
Topping
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts, pecans or peanuts (optional)
Combine milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute, remove and stir. Continue heating at 20-second intervals, stirring each time, until butter is melted and the milk is warm to the touch.
In a bowl, combine 3 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add the egg and milk mixture. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, beat on medium to low speed until combined. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, beating after each addition. When the dough begins to form a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, you have added enough flour. Continue beating for 5 minutes on medium to low speed. Remove the dough hook, cover dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, begin making your filling by whisking together sugars and cinnamon in a bowl until combined.
When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 14 inches x 9 inches. Use a knife or pastry spatula to evenly spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Add finely chopped apples, and drizzle with 1/2 cup caramel sauce.
Beginning at the 14-inch edge, tightly roll up the dough, and seal the final seam by pinching the dough together. Cut off the ends of the roll (just a centimeter or so) so they are even. Cut the remaining dough into equal pieces.
Place each cinnamon roll into a greased pie plate or 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Cover again with a damp towel, and leave the dish in a warm place to rise for 25 minutes. When the rolls have risen, uncover the dish, place on the center rack in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden and cooked through. Remove and let cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes. Drizzle with remaining caramel sauce and serve.
Apple Pie
Beth Fornuto, Beth Fornuto Photography
This is a recipe from our family cookbook bible – Betty Crocker circa 1960. The secret to a memorable pie crust is butter. So, whenever any recipe calls for shortening – substitute salted butter and don’t think twice about it.
10-inch pie crust
• 1 cup butter
• 2 ⅔ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 7-8 tablespoons cold water
Cut butter into flour and salt until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, one teaspoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl. (1-2 teaspoons of water can be added if necessary.)
Divide pastry into two halves and shape into two rounds. Flatten on a lightly floured surface. Roll pastry 2 inches larger than inverted pie plate with a flour-covered rolling pin. Fold pastry into fourths, unfold and ease into pie plate, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Fill with apple filling. Trim overhanging edge of pastry ½ inch from rim of plate.
Roll out the other round of pastry. Fold into fourths and cut slits, so steam can escape. Place over filling and unfold. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under the lower edge, pressing on rim to seal.
Apple filling
• 1 cup sugar
• ⅓ cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash of salt
• 8 cups thinly sliced tart apples (about 7 medium)
• 3 tablespoons butter
Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Stir in apples. Turn into pastry-filled pie plate. Dot with butter. Cover with crust that has slits and seal edges. Cover edges with foil to prevent excessive browning. Remove during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake at 425 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in the crust.
Overnight Apple French Toast
Heather Stevens, Joyful Day Photography
My favorite apple recipe is a variation on a family tradition that has been enjoyed for as long as I can remember. We have it every year during the holiday season.
French toast
• 1 pound loaf sourdough or French bread, cut into chunks
• 3 cups chopped apples (2 large apples)
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups whole or 2% milk
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, unpacked
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Streusel topping
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 1/2 cup salted butter, cut into pieces
Grease a 9-inch × 13-inch casserole dish.
Combine the bread chunks and chopped apples, place in an even layer in the bottom of the dish.
In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, minus the streusel, and pour evenly over bread and apples. Cover dish and store in the fridge overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 35-40 minutes.
While casserole bakes, combine the dry ingredients for the streusel in a bowl. Add the butter and mash it into the dry ingredients until it forms a crumbly mixture. Remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the streusel crumble over the top of the casserole.
Continue baking casserole for about 5 minutes, or until the streusel is melted. Serve warm with syrup.
Skillet Bacon Apple Crisp
Abigail Peyton, Abigail Peyton Photography
Over the years, my husband has become passionate about the art of smoking meat, and I have always loved baking. We decided to marry our two passions and make a delicious fall dessert! Our recipe comes from smoking pro, Susie Bulloch of “Hey Grill, Hey.”
Apple Filling
• 4 pounds crisp apples peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• pinch of salt
Crisp Topping
• 4 strips bacon cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup instant oats
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 8 tablespoons cold salted butter cut into very small pieces
Preheat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet on high heat. Add the bacon pieces for the topping to the skillet and cook until crisp. Remove the cooked bacon and drain most of the bacon fat from the pan, reserving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.
Preheat your grill, smoker or oven to 375 degrees. While your grill heats, start assembling ingredients for the crisp.
In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the apple filling. Stir gently to combine and pour into the skillet with the bacon fat.
In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients for the apple crisp topping. Then stir in the cold butter pieces with a fork, pressing on the butter and mixing until the butter is in small pieces and the topping mixture resembles coarse sand. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples.
Place the skillet in the oven/grill/smoker and close the lid. Cook for 40-45 minutes (turning the skillet halfway through cooking) or until the apples are tender and the crisp topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy.
Leave a Reply