5 Tips for Baking with Apples
AN APPLE A DAY
September 9: Chef Jean-Luc Doridam of the NSCC Akerley Campus shares his tips for cooking with Nova Scotia apples.
NSCC Baking Tip #1: Variety is the Spice of Life
For the perfect apple pie, use a combination of sweet and tart apples for a great balance of flavour and texture consistency. Jean-Luc suggests using three different varieties in your pie. Some pie-making apples to choose from: Northern Spy, Gravenstein, Golden Delicious, Fuji or Honeycrisp.
NSCC Baking Tip #2: Go Sweet
Pair tart apples with white chocolate in a dessert; the acidity of the apples and creamy, vanilla flavour of the chocolate are a perfect combination. One of Jean-Luc’s favourite food memories includes a white chocolate Bavarian with an apple glaze and apple compote served on a sable Breton – paired perfectly with Domaine de Grand Pre’s Pomme D’or.
NSCC Baking Tip #3: Get Jelly with It
Use your left over apple skins and cores to make a delicious, quick, and easy apple jelly. Try this recipe from Jean-Luc.
NSCC Baking Tip #4: Sweet & Sour
Craving more tartness? Add a bit of citric acid to give apples an extra acidity. Citric acid is a natural acid found in many fruits and just a small amount can boost the tanginess of certain flavours. It can often be purchased in health food stores, and is ideal for use in an apple sauce, compote or sorbet. It gives extra acidity, prevents some of the browning of the apples and an apple sorbet serves as a great palate cleanser in between courses.
NSCC Baking Tip #5: Get Saucy
Add sweetness and moisture to your coffee cake or muffin batter by adding apple sauce to your wet ingredients. Try Jean-Luc’s apple sauce tip the next time you make your favourite cake or muffins!
Local Source Guide
APPLES: When you’re buying local apples, we suggest supporting a Nova Scotian farm such as Noggins Corner Farm Market, Masstown Market, Stirling Fruit Farms Ltd., or Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia
APPLE MONTH
An apple a day keeps the doctor away! Freshly sliced, baked in a pie, sprinkled with cinnamon or paired with a piece of cheddar – September in Nova Scotia is all about apples. Apple Month
#appleaday
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