In Fall, Our Fancy Turns to Apples

When I was a child growing up in Maryland, early fall always meant a trip to the local apple orchard. My dad and I would load large paper bags with all kinds of apples.

Pies were No. 1 on my wish list of how the apples ought to be used, but they also found their way into wonderful salads, entrees and other dishes.

My mother had strict rules about which apples were for eating and which for cooking. Eating apples were categorized as anything that turned to tasteless mush in the oven but were crisp and pleasant eaten out of hand. Mom put cooking apples, those that held their tang and texture under temperature, in a higher class.

More than 8,000 varieties of apples exist in the world today, according to Edward Behr, author of “The Art of Eating.” Apple preference is very individual. Some people love the well-known Red and Golden Delicious; to my mind, neither makes a good cooking apple and both are on the sweet side for eating. Others prefer McIntosh, which bakes up tart and tangy.

Each area of the United States in which I’ve lived has its own special apples. In Washington state, which produces more than half the apples sold in the U.S., we ate Rome Beauty and Pippin. In California, I enjoyed an apple called Gravenstein. In the Midwest, I learned about Haralson, State Fair and Prairie Spy apples. Visits to New England taught me about the tart, crisp Northern Spy. My family in Maryland prefers Stayman Winesap.

Once picked, apples should be stored at 90% humidity at a temperature of 30 to 32 degrees. You can keep a small batch in the refrigerator.

Since we live near an orchard, I’ll make my annual pilgrimage, buying enough late-season “keeping” apples to assure us of baked apples for breakfast each winter morning. What more heavenly smell to wake up to than sugar, cinnamon and apples steaming away in the oven.

BROWN SUGAR BAKED APPLES (LOW-FAT COOKING)

6 large cooking apples

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon ginger or cinnamon

1/3 cup chopped raisins

1 teaspoon softened butter, optional

1 cup water

Core apples, leaving 1/4 inch in bottom to hold filling. Place apples in 13x9-inch baking dish.

Combine brown sugar, ginger, raisins and butter in small bowl and mix well. Mound mixture into apple cavities. Pour water around apples in dish. Bake at 350 degrees until apples are very soft, 45 to 60 minutes. Serve hot or cold, spooning any cooking liquid over apples.

6 servings. Each serving:

146 calories; 5 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.82 gram fiber.

WALDORF SALAD

1 1/2 cups chopped red-skinned eating apples

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup halved seedless grapes

1/4 cup raisins

3 cups torn romaine lettuce leaves

1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1 teaspoon sugar or honey, optional

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Salt, pepper

Combine apples, celery, grapes, raisins and lettuce in large salad bowl. Toss well.

Whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste in small bowl. Pour over salad and toss well. Serve immediately.

4 servings. Each serving:

190 calories; 272 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.89 gram fiber.