This is one of my favorite fall and winter desserts.  I think I began making it when we owned MOM, our pie shop, and I would tire of making the same 3- or 9-inch two crusts pies.  Since we were an all-American shop, I didn’t want to do a classic French tart so I devised this presentation.  It isn’t made with pizza dough – although I have done it using my homemade pizza dough (see Pizza on the Grill, July 13, 2010) but with a simple butter-flavored pastry formed in a pizza pan.

I cut the apples by hand so, unfortunately, each one has its own shape but I do try to keep all of the slices fairly thin.  I use whatever apples that seem to be crisp and a bit tart.  This one was made with 4 very large Honeycrisps.  You can, of course, use any other firm fruit in place of the apples.

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into bits

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening

Approximately ½ cup ice water

2 tablespoons Wondra flour plus more for dusting

Approximately 1½ pounds crisp, tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons apple cider

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Add the butter and shortening and process, using quick on and off turns, to until the mixture resembles rough crumbs.  With the motor running, gradually add the ice water, adding just enough until the dough comes together.  You may not need all of the water.  Do not over-process or the pastry will be tough.

Scrape the pastry from the bowl and gently pat it into a flat disk.  Place in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until well-chilled.

When ready to use, lightly flour a clean, flat work space using Wondra flour.

Place the dough in the center and lightly flour the top of the pastry, again using Wondra flour.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a circle about 1-inch larger in diameter than your pizza pan.  Carefully fold the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to the pan.  Gently fold in the edges and crimp.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Place the apples in a large mixing bowl.  Add the lemon juice and cider and gently toss to coat.

Mix the 2 tablespoons Wondra flour with the cinnamon and sprinkle it over the apples.  Add the butter and toss to coat.

Carefully arrange the apple slices in slightly overlapping concentric circles over the entire top of the pastry.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until the crust is golden and the apples are tender, caramelized, and beginning to crisp on the edges.

Remove from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes before cutting into wedges.  Serve as is or with vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, or dulce de leche ice cream

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Wild apples you say?  If you’ve ever traveled around central New York State in the fall, you know what I’m talking about – the roads are lined with straggly, crooked- limbed, ancient apple trees usually loaded with wormy, deformed apples of unknown varieties.  Some are slightly rosy while others are green as those unripe tomatoes I’ve just written about.  I’ve seen almost transparent yellow apples but never the deep red we’ve come to know as the almost-tasteless Red Delicious that fill the supermarket produce bins all winter.  Although history has him pioneering his apple nurseries mainly in Indiana and Ohio, I believe that Johnny Appleseed (really John Chapman – I love his story – Google him – I find him fascinating) must have spent an inordinate amount of time wandering the byways of the state.

This year, for whatever reason, the wild apples have not been completely wormy and yucky.  I’ve spent the last few days with an apple picker loaned to me by my dearest friend Lynn (who is supplied with every gardening contraption known), reaching for and aching for the biggest apples which always seem to be at the top of the tree.  I had to settle for lots of little guys, but each type was crisp, just a bit sweet, and with a lovely crunch.  They are free for the taking and will end up as rich, unctuous apple butter that will be wonderful on toast, stirred into yogurt, or added to a sweet-sour marinade for pork.

Apple Butter

Makes about 2½ quarts

About 6 to 7 pounds crisp apples, well-washed

8 cups apple cider

3 cups light brown sugar

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Cut the apples in half and place them in a large saucepan.  Add the cider and place over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.  Simmer for about 30 minutes or until mushy.

Remove the apples from the heat and, working with a bit at a time, press them through a food mill fitted with the plate with the smallest holes.

Transfer the apple pulp into a clean saucepan.  Add the sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger and place over medium-low heat.  Cook, stirring frequently, for about 90 minutes or until the mixture is very thick and will mound up in a metal spoon.

If canning, pour the mixture into sterilized jars, seal and cap, and place in a boiling water bath.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Remove from the boiling water and set on wire racks to cool.

If storing under refrigeration, pour into hot, sterilized jars, seal and cap, and set on wire racks to cool.  Store, refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks.

If you don’t want to go to all of the trouble to make Apple Butter, here is a quick fall recipe for Apple-Corn Relish that is terrific with poultry, fish, or pork.  If you don’t have crunchy wild apples on hand, use tart apples, such as Granny Smiths.

Apple-Corn Relish

Makes about 3 cups

2 cups fresh corn kernels

1 cup diced crisp apple

½ cup finely diced red onion

1 teaspoon roasted garlic purée

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons apple cider

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

(I love toasted black walnuts in this but they are often hard to find)

Place the corn kernels in a large, nonstick frying pan over high heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until the kernels are a bit dry, smoky-tasting, and gently colored.  Scrape the kernels into a mixing bowl.

Add the apple, onion, and garlic and toss to combine.  Stir in the oil, vinegar, and cider.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Just before serving, stir in the nuts.

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Is there any aroma more enticing than that of the cinnamon scents coming from the baker’s oven?  How many times have I been lured by the Cinnabon kiosk in a mall or rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike…..I’m a complete sucker even though I don’t much like the commercial cinnamon bun featured and I usually eat a bite or two and put it back in its little sticky box.  Part of the reason I get snookered is the deep memory of my mom’s early morning baking….huge, fluffy, nutted and spiced, and gently iced yeast-risen cinnamon swirls were a weekend treat.  I can still taste the yumminess of my sticky fingers after I had devoured the first warm bun.

For years, I supplanted the buns with an easy to make cinnamon coffee cake only because I was too impatient for the necessary dough rise.  BUT a couple of years ago I decided to try to make an inviting cinnamon bun in a hurry.  After a number of tries, I finally came up with the solution – a rather firm biscuit-type dough that can be rolled out and filled.  My friend Mary says that I should market the results.  Instead of taking my brand to market, I will share it with you.

Makes about 12 depending upon how thick you make the roll and how thick you cut the slices

3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1¼ cups sour milk or buttermilk (see Note)

¾ cup melted unsalted butter, cooled slightly

Brown Sugar Filling (recipe follows)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Orange Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.  Stir in the sour milk and ½ cup of the melted butter, mixing just until combined.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and, using your hands, work the dough until it comes together and is smooth.  If the dough is too sticky, add additional flour, a bit at a time.

Lightly flour a clean surface and transfer the dough to it.  Lightly pat it out to a rectangle shape.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a rectangle about 12 inches long by 9- to 10-inches wide.

Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the entire surface of the dough with the 2 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter.

Spoon the filling in an even layer over the surface of the buttered rectangle, leaving about ½ -inch uncovered around the far long side of the rectangle.  This will give the dough the ability to seal itself together.  Lightly push the filling into the dough.

Starting at the long end closest to you, begin rolling the dough up, cigar fashion.  Do not roll too tightly nor too loosely – the roll should just be barely coming together.

When the roll reaches the uncovered edge, lightly press on it to seal the edge to the roll.  Tidy up the ends, making sure that all of the filling remains inside the roll.

Using a sharp knife, cut the roll, crosswise, into slices about ½-inch thick.

Place the 2 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the preheated oven.  When the butter has melted, but not browned, carefully place the dough slices into the pan.

Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the tops of the rolls with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the buns have risen, oozing some of the filling, and are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Drizzle the Orange Glaze over the top and let rest for about 10 more minutes.

Serve warm.

Brown Sugar Filling

1 cup light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup walnut pieces (or any nut you prefer)

1 cup dark raisins

Combine the brown and granulated sugars with the cinnamon.  Stir in the melted butter to make a slightly crumbly mixture.  Stir in the nuts and raisins.

Use as directed in the recipe.

Orange Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

3 to 4 tablespoons fresh orange juice, strained of all pulp

Mix the sugar and juice together until smooth.  It should be slightly thick.

Use as directed in the recipe.

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This is my dear husband’s most favorite pasta sauce.  Unfortunately, it can only be made when plum tomatoes are ripe and deeply sweet and meaty.  In reality, this happens about 3 times a season although I keep at it, trying to make a batch with a taste reaching toward the really good one of recent memory.  It is very, very simple to do and, like all simple dishes, its deliciousness depends solely on the quality of the tomatoes used.

First you cover the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil.  Then, microplane about 6 fresh cloves of garlic (or more or less if you like) into the oil.  Place over low heat and just allow the garlic purée to soften.  As soon as it begins to even look like it might color slightly, remove the pan from the heat.

Peel about 3 pounds of rich, ripe plum tomatoes.  Core and remove the seeds – the latter is optional if you don’t mind a seedy sauce by all means skip it.  Cut the tomatoes into pieces and then place them, a few at a time, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Process until just chunky.  Do not purée.

Pour the tomatoes into the warm garlic oil.  Season with salt and pepper and let rest for at least a couple of hours.

About an hour before ready to serve, chop some fresh basil and stir it into the tomatoes.  Taste and, if necessary, add additional salt and pepper.

Cook dried spaghettini according to manufacturer’s directions for al dente.  Drain very well and place in a bowl.  Add just enough sauce to nicely coat the pasta.  When serving, add a couple of spoonfuls of sauce to the top of each serving.  I like to grate some cheese on top but Steve thinks it detracts from the simplicity of the tomatoes, basil, and pasta.  He usually drizzles a little bit of extra virgin olive oil over his.

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This tart comes right between green tomato relish and fried green tomatoes as one of the tastiest uses of fall’s bounty of acidic green tomatoes.  It is a wonderful brunch or lunch dish served with a tossed green salad and a chilled bottle of Sancerre.  It is essential that you drain the tomatoes as much as possible to keep their liquid from weeping into the custard and turning the end result quite runny.  You should also let the tart rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting so that the custard can set up.  The tart is delicious warm, at room temperature, or cold.  We didn’t photograph the finished tart which I thought quite lovely but Steve said the golden custard and golden crust just looked too dull.  But not too dull to finish the entire tart at one sitting!

½ recipe pie pastry of choice (or see Nana’s Flaky Pie Crust in book ideas, An American Family Cooks) – you will just need a bottom crust

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water to make an egg wash

4 slices lean slab bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 medium green tomatoes

3 large eggs

1½ cups half and half or heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup grated Gruyère or sharp cheddar cheese or crumbled goat cheese

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to a circle about 12-inches in diameter.  Carefully lift the pastry circle and fit it into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; fold and press any excess dough into the fluted edge.  (Don’t fret if you don’t have one – just use a pie pan – I did on this particular day.)

Using a pastry brush, light coat the bottom of the pastry shell with the egg wash.  Set aside.

Place the bacon in a cold frying pan over low heat.  Fry, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until it is crisp and has rendered all of its fat.  Using a slotted spoon, lift the bacon from the pan and place it on paper towels to drain.

While the bacon is frying, prepare the tomatoes.  Core the tomatoes.  Using a mandoline or Japanese vegetable slicer, cut the tomatoes, crosswise, into very thin slices.  As cut, place the slices on a double layer of paper towel to drain.  When all of the tomatoes have been sliced, cover them with another double layer of paper towel, pressing down to help absorb the juices.

Combine the eggs and half and half (or cream – this choice depends upon how rich you want the custard to be) in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine.  Seaons with salt and pepper, remembering that you will be adding bacon and cheese, both of which are salty.

Spread the cheese in an even layer over the bottom of the egg-washed pastry.  Give the tomatoes a final pat with clean paper towel and then place them in slightly overlapping concentric circles on the cheese.  Pour the egg mixture over the tomatoes and crumble the bacon over the top.

Place the tart in the preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until the custard has set and the top is lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges

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Green tomatoes are a sure sign that the summer’s tomato crop has been bountiful.  I always ask farmer’s to pick some for me even when the crop is slight.  Green tomatoes are a special treat in our house – both fried and in relish.  The other morning a late breakfast brought chicken hash (made with leftover chicken) and fried green tomatoes to the table.  We were able to use many of the various relishes and salads hanging on in the fridge, including the wonderful murbas and acchaars (see Neeta’s Treats) that Neeta had made for us, to accent the tart, crisp tomato slices.

To serve six people, you will need about 5 large green tomatoes.

5 large green tomatoes, washed, cored, and cut, crosswise, into ½-inch

thick slices

2 large eggs

½ cup buttermilk

1 cup Wondra flour

1 cup cornmeal

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil of choice – I use canola

Place the tomato slices on double layers of paper towel to drain slightly.

Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together in a large, shallow bowl.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt and pepper in another large, shallow bowl.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.

When the oil is hot, working with one at a time, dip the tomato slices into the milk mixture and then into the flour mixture, pressing down to coat evenly.  Shake off excess and place in the hot pan.

Fry each slice for about 3 minutes.  Turn and fry for another 3 minutes or until crisp and golden on both sides.

Using a slotted spatula, lift the slices from the oil and place on paper towel to drain.

Serve hot with a spritz of fresh lemon or any tart relish or condiment.  Or, if you like, make a cream gravy in the pan and drizzle over the tomatoes.

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Isn’t it amazing that not so long ago, we had a small piece of toasted bread with maybe a squeeze of pimento cheese as a cocktail tidbit with our “7 ‘n 7” or bourbon and water and now we are served or serve an array of wonderfully diverse hors d’oeuvre with ever more complex cocktails or fine wines.  I don’t usually do much in that department but the other evening we had a mess of stunningly sweet and delicious Sun Gold cherry tomatoes and little red cherry tomatoes so I chopped them up a bit, added a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and heaped them on some slices of stale Eli’s baguette that I toasted and then rubbed with garlic.  They were the perfect accompaniment to our favorite (and very cheap) summer rosé, La Vielle Ferme.  (Try their red and whites, also – cheap and delicious – great everyday table wine.)

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