What would happen to a doctor if he ate an apple a day? Would he explode? Would he disappear? Or would he be satisfied knowing he is eating one of nature's greatest gifts?
For any doctor brave enough to try, now is the time to do it. We are at the peak of apple season, and the orchards and markets are laden with America's second most popular fruit (after bananas).
Now is when they are at their freshest and best. The apples you buy next spring and summer will have been picked now, or maybe in the next couple of months, and kept refrigerated until they are sold. And although apples stay fresh and good for a long time, there is no comparison between an apple you buy next June and one you buy now.
The only question is: which variety to get? More than 7,000 varieties of apple grow around the world, with 2,500 types that grow in the United States. Of those, about 100 are grown commercially and find their way to your produce store.
With those guidelines in mind, I made three apple-based dishes _ one savory, two sweet. Knowing the right type to use for each dish made them even better.
I began with apple fritters. Then, when that didn't work, I tried apple fritters again. Those were even worse, and took a great deal of time and effort, too.
So I tried a different recipe, one that was much simpler and faster and, as it turns out, far more deliciously successful.
This recipe for fritters takes a very simple dough (no yeast) and adds spices you'd find in apple pie _ cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. It also cooks the apples for several minutes, making them more tender than raw apples but still retaining just the right amount of crunch.
Additional apple flavor comes courtesy of apple cider in the dough, while sweetness is provided by a simple glaze.
For my savory dish, I made pork chops with apple, a favorite recipe I developed a few years ago.
Pork goes with apples like a hug goes with a kiss. To this classic combination, I added sliced onions, caraway seeds and Dijon mustard, all simmered in chicken broth.
No, seriously, it really does taste great. The flavors blend together into a rich and hearty melange that is just the thing on a crisp and chilly night. And it takes mere minutes to make.
For my last dish, I made apple pie _ but not your standard, everyday apple pie. I made something special. I made an apple custard pie.
Apple custard pies don't even belong in the same conversation as ordinary apple pies. Apple custard pies are richer, though they don't really taste rich, and are far more elegant than a typical apple pie. The apple flavor does not merely sit there, inert, on the crust; it imbues the whole pie with its essence.
A custard requires eggs, of course, but this custard is special because, instead of cream, it uses melted butter. That's the secret that makes this pie over the top and out of this world.
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