Orchard Talk

Yep, it’s baking time. And I bought too many apples, because that good lookin’ $12 half bushel of Ginger Golds from King Orchards was IRRESISTIBLE.

Here’s my favorite apple cake recipe. I really generally don’t care for baked apple products, but this one is . . . oh good lord. . . you gotta try it. My mom got the recipe from Emma Ellison in Eastport, way back in the 70′s. Mom used to make it for dad’s birthday every year. Sometimes I still do. It’s stupid easy – great recipe for the kids to try out their baking skills.

I’ve added some spices, and I use both brown and granulated sugars. You can doll it up to your liking. I’ve used oil or butter; both are delicious. If you use butter, you may need to adjust the amount of salt you add (unless, of course, you’re using unsalted butter). I’m guessing you could even use applesauce or bananas for some of the sweet / fat ingredients.

This recipe yields one 9×13 glass baking pan. You can also use it as a muffin batter, or dress it up with a crumb topping. Once it’s cooled, sifting powdered sugar through a doily is a cutesy old fashioned thing to do.

The cake is best about 15 minutes out of the oven. The edges will be crusty and chewy, and the cake is moist and dense. It’s also great for the next few days, if there’s any left. Just cover pan with foil or film wrap.

Bake at 350 for approximately 50 minutes. Kinda depends on exactly how many apples you use, and how much moisture they contain. Cake is done when it’s deep golden brown, the edges start to pull away from the pan, and the center has puffed up and is set.

4 cups diced apples – I usually quarter them or cut in 8ths, depending upon size of apples, then slice. Don’t peel!
1 c granulated sugar
1 c brown sugar, loosely packed
3/4 c oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (I like a high quality sea salt best)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
sprinkle ground cloves
sprinkle ground nutmeg
couple sprinkles ground coriander
1 c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, of course)

I suggest you use a large mixing bowl and do this by hand with a big ol’ wooden spoon or rubber spatula; I’ve never bothered with a mixer for this cake. The batter is dense and lumpy and it will look like there is absolutely NO way it’s going to turn out. . . but it will.

Stir together flour, sugars, spices, soda and salt.

Slice apples and stir into dry ingredients to coat them.

Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla at once, and stir gently just until combined.

Bake, eat, and feel the love.

Tags: Apples, Recipes

Just read a wonderful article on delectable Michigan peaches in The Detroit News, along with a simple recipe for Peach Berry Crisp using Michigan peaches and berries.  You can also use blackberries or strawberries along with the peaches, or use nectarines in place of peaches.

From The Detroit News:

Peachy Berry Crisp

3 large peaches, peeled, pitted, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 cups blueberries
2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oatmeal (not instant)
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8-inch square or oval baking dish. Toss fruit, sugar and 2 tablespoons flour in large bowl to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake fruit until juices bubble, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Bake without stirring another 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, whisk remaining 3/4 cup flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small moist clumps form. Sprinkle topping evenly over hot fruit in dish.

Bake crisp until topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm with ice cream. Serves 8.
Per serving (without ice cream): 339 calories; 10 g fat (6 g saturated fat; 27 percent calories from fat); 62 g carbohydrates; 25 mg cholesterol; 82 mg sodium; 4 g protein; 7 g fiber
80 minutes

20 minutes to make
60 minutes to bake

From The Detroit News

Tags: blueberries, michigan peaches, peaches, raspberries, Recipes

Put 1 quart of Michigan blueberries in a deep dish pie crust.

Combine:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of salt

Add:
1 tsp. vanilla
1 8 ounce container of whipping cream

Pour over blueberries

Bake in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes

(recommend a drip pan – may spill over in oven!)

Tags: blueberries, Recipes

Andy Ross of the Wooster Square Cherry Blossom Festival shares his personal size cherry pie recipe featuring King Orchards IQF Montmorency tart cherries.

This recipe makes six personal size cherry pies. (5 inch pie tins)

Filling
5 C of fresh frozen unsweetened cherries or three 15 oz cans of tart. I use cherries fresh frozen from King Orchards brand or their canned tart cherries.
1 Tbls of organic tapioca starch or corn starch
3 C of superfine sugar.
1 Tbls lemon juice
1 tsp almond extract

Bottom Crust
1 C of crushed gram cracker crumbs plus some for dusting pans. I prefer Nabisco.
4 Tbls unsalted butter

Upper crust
1 box of prepared crust from either Pillsbury of store brand such as Stop & Shop.
1/8 C of extra virgin light olive oil
1/8 C of superfine sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Thaw the cherries and drain them well. Reserve the cherry juice for shakes or mixing with seltzer. Mix the cherries with 2 cups of the sugar, let sit and drain again. Mix in the tapioca or corn starch, almond extract and lemon juice and the balance of sugar to taste. Let them sit for 15 minutes while you prepare your crust and gram cracker crust bottom.

Take your small tin pans and spray them with butter flavored Pam or grease them with butter. Then dust the sides and bottom of the tins with gram cracker crumbs.

Melt the butter and mix it with 1 cup gram cracker crumbs. Take the dusted pans and place the gram cracker mixture on the bottom about 1/8 thick. Press the gram cracker mixture with a spoon until compacted. Place in freezer for 15 minutes to chill before filling.

Roll out you prepared pie crust and use one of the tins as a template cutting out a circle. You should be able to cut out three upper crusts per roll. Take your cherry mixture and scoop it out with a slotted spoon to leave any excess liquid behind and fill the tin piled a little high but not too high. Place the crust over the tin. Use fork tines to press down the edges of the upper crust against the tins. Carefully cut an x-shaped slit in the upper crust using a sharp knife.
Mix the olive oil with super fine sugar so you have a thick mixture. Brush the tops of the pies with the mixture using a pastry brush..

Bake the pies on a cookie sheet or directly on the rack for 35-40 minutes. The crusts should look golden brown not soggy.

Tags: cherry pie, iqf tart cherries, Our Websites, Recipes

A super mix of nutrients, perfect for a simple grab-and-go snack, lunchbox treats or breakfast on the go.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c dried tart cherries
3/4 c toasted almonds
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c honey
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 c oats
1 c wheat flour
3/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 c flax seed
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c dark chocolate chips
1c yogurt butter

Directions:
Cream butter and sugars in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle in honey and vanilla, mix well, add eggs. Set aside.

Sift flours, powder and soda in another medium size bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir in oats, flax seed, chocolate, almonds and cherries.

Spray muffin pan wells with non stick spray. Place one heaping tablespoon of batter into each well.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield 2 dz.

Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Facts per cookie: 220 calories, 8 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 34 g carbohydrate, 20 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 3 g fiber, 150 mg sodium; Daily Values: 6% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 4% calcium, 6% iron

courtesy of Cherry Marketing Institute

Tags: cookie recipes, dried cherries, Recipes

Ingredients

Nutritional Information

One serving contains the following:
Calories (kcal) 284.77
% Calorie from Fat 62.5
Fat (g) 19.78
Saturated Fat (g) 2.01
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Carbohydrates (g) 24.75
Dietary Fiber (g) 6.09
Total Sugars (g) 14.37
Net Carbs (g) 18.66
Protein (g) 4.51

Tags: dried cherries, gala apples, Recipes

Here is a great recipe a customer e-mailed me, thanks Colleen!

Awesome Butternut Casserole (sweet potato)

2 ½ cup cooked mashed squash or sweet potato 3 eggs, beaten
6 Tbl. Butter 1 5oz. Evaporated milk
1 teas vanilla ½ cup brown sugar
1 teas cinnamon
Mix together everything, it will be thin. Put into 3 qt. baking dish.
Bake uncovered at 350°, for 45 minutes.
Topping:
1 cup crushed cornflakes ½ cup chopped nuts
½ cup brown sugar 2 Tbl. Melted butter
Combine all ingredients and sprinkle over top return to oven for
10 -15 minutes.

My goal is a squash recipe a week. Betsy

Tags: Recipes, squash

Winning Recipe 2009 Michigan Apples Pie Contest: Caramel Apple Pie

Tags: caramel apple pie, michigan apples, pie recipes, Recipes

Ingredients

Tags: cherry bars, cherry recipes, dried cherries, healthy cherry recipes, Recipes

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cans (16 ounces each) tart cherries
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 to 5 drops red food coloring, optional
Favorite pastry for two-crust pie

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Filling: In a 3-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Drain the liquid from the canned cherries into the saucepan; set cherries aside. Stir the cherry liquid into the sugar mixture until no lumps remain. Heat the mixture to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently; continue cooking 1 minute or until mixture is thickened and slightly translucent. Remove from the heat, stir in the reserved tart cherries, dried cherries, almond extract and, if desired, food coloring.

Roll out bottom pastry between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper. Place the pastry in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan, letting the excess extend over the edge. Spoon in the cherry filling. Roll out top pastry and place over filling. Flute or crimp edges. Cut several slits in top crust to vent pie. Or, you can make a lattice top crust, whichever suits your family. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar onto the pastry strips. Place pie on the top rack in oven and place a baking sheet or piece of foil on lower rack to catch any drips.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and the filling bubbles. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack 15 to 20 minutes before cutting.
Makes 10 servings. From the Cherry Marketing Institute.

Tags: Cherries, cherry recipes, michigan, michigan cherries, michigan tart cherries, Recipes, tart cherry recipes, traverse city