pears 'n apples

Dog Mom · #1 09-10-2008, 11:32 PM

Well, a friend and his 11 year old daughter came over and picked my pear trees and one of my apple trees for me. (The apple is an early variety, the regular season ones aren't ready yet.) I now have about 1/3 of a paper grocery bag full of each and they took an equal amount home to their family. Not bad for 3 dwarf trees in the north!!

I am thinking cobbler, maybe pie, baked apples, pear and apple crisps -- but the cobbler is my favorite. I use a recipe that I found on a can of blue berries at my cottage in Ontario a "few" years ago -- you put the batter on the bottom and the fruit on top when baking -- that way the fruit juices flavor the batter. And I made it low fat by using milk instead of oil or butter -- just mix it to the right consistency, like a stiff pancake batter. Tastes great and much lower in fat.

herasday · #2 09-11-2008, 04:50 PM

Making my mouth water. Now I'll have to make a trip to the local orchard store and get some apples of my own.

I should have put in a tree eight years ago when I bought this place so I'd have my own apples probably by now. But I'd have to have cut down one of the flowering crabs to find the space and they bloom SOOOO lovely.

Have you done apple dumplings?

Make or buy piecrust. Core and peel fresh apples, but leave them whole. Cut the piecrust into squares big enough to fold the corners up over the top of the apple. Set each apple on a square. Fill the center core hole with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts, allspice, or whatever else floats your spice boat. Fold the corners of the piecrust squares up over the tops of the apples and seal together. Set the apple dumplings in a baking dish. Mix water, brown sugar and spice on the stove over low heat to make a thick syrup. Or use some maple syrup or sugar in it too. The syrup should make soft ball when dropped in cold water. I don't have the exact measurements any more, I just play it by ear.

Take the hot syrup and pour it over and around the dumplings in the baking dish. bake at 350-400 until the apples are cooked soft and piecrust is done and browning on top. Remove from oven, put a dumpling on serving plate, spoon hot syrup from the pan over it. Top with some whipped cream, heavy cream, ice cream, evaporated milk or hard sauce (you get the picture..something rich, creamy and sinful!!! ) . Serve while still warm

Daylilydayzed · #3 09-11-2008, 11:04 PM

Herasday, I would love to eat that!

Bird Lover · #4 09-11-2008, 11:54 PM

Rebecca, I've made cobbler similar to yours. Yummy! Herasday, those dumplings are to die for. Another favorite, but, geez, there goes the diet!
I'm right in the middle of apple country here. Every farm offers some. I have one of those old-fashioned apple peeler/corers that you clamp onto the edge of the table, and it's going to get a workout this fall.
I usually make more apple pies than anything else. My whole family loves them, so I give alot away. We have an apple tree out back, but the squirrels enjoy picking them & throwing them to the ground. We haven't eaten one! They made good bait for the groundhogs in the trap though.

Pburgh · #5 09-12-2008, 02:48 PM

Well, this is just not good for my diet. I'll just eat the plain apples.
I like to peel and core the apples, slice them and sautee them in a teflon pan. Add splenda and cinnamon and eat. Tastes great.

Dog Mom · #6 09-12-2008, 10:26 PM

I have a four legged thief of apples and pears too -- but he is much bigger than a squirrel. My Aussie boy, Wesley, loves them. While my neighbor brought in groceries for me yesterday, he scarfed down 2 or 3 pears -- between barks and rain drops! Pears are preffered over apples, but he likes both -- even green as grass and hard as rocks! If they are fallen, he will eat them!

Danaus29 · #7 09-13-2008, 12:11 AM

I've got apples for the first time on my trees! Well, had apples on one. The woodpeckers were eating holes in them and the seeds in one I picked were dark brown so I picked the rest yesterday. Tim and I shared 1. Oh my goodness, like nothing you've ever had from the store! These are supposedly red delicious but they were little bitty things, maybe a fourth of the normal size. Anyway they were so good! Too bad the others were picked by the birds. I guess the bunnies will be eating good.

herasday · #8 09-13-2008, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pburgh

Well, this is just not good for my diet. I'll just eat the plain apples.
I like to peel and core the apples, slice them and sautee them in a teflon pan. Add splenda and cinnamon and eat. Tastes great.

Slice them up thin and cook them in the microwave on your oatmeal, Karan. With the Pbutter is okay, too!! I'd skip the cocoa, though. LOL. Or use a little honey and cinnamon and it'll be almost like apple crispt (without the butter)