There are times when you want to make something easy and fast, but definitely sweet… Such was the case! We looked at the apples we had in our fruit bowl and remembered a recipe for apple dougnuts that we had found in the book Γλυκά χωρίς… by Christos Vergados published by Dioptra Publications.
So, the star of our new sweet article will be the apple! We will look for desserts based on this classic and favorite fruit and find their sweet stories, while learning some things about the nutritional value of the apple. In the end, of course, we will make our apple dessert, easy and quick apple doughnuts!
Apple is one of our favorite fruits for a number of reasons: it is delicious, it has many nutrients and it goes into many sweet and savory recipes! As we have read, in Greece its harvest takes place in early August, and peaks in late September to mid-October. Some varieties are harvested until mid-November. One would wonder how we find Greek apples all year round. This is because they are kept in large refrigeration rooms, in specific humidity and temperature conditions for several months without any problems. In the next few months, imported apples will appear on the market, but we do not prefer them. So, as long as we can still find Greek apples, let’s take advantage of them!
There are many varieties of apples, each with a different aroma and taste. In our country we have two varieties of PDO apples (Protected Designation of Origin) the apples of Zagora Pelion (red Starking Delicious) which are considered to be the best apples in the world, amd the apples of Tripoli (Delicious Pilafa). We also have PGI apples (Protected Geographical Indication), Kastoria apples.
Apples should be part of our diet, since we read that they are rich in antioxidants -they are second compared to other fruits- and contain a lot of fiber. They also contain vitamins C, A, B2, B6 and K, and are rich in carbohydrates.
Apples therefore have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action, protect against lung cancer, are a shield against diabetes, protect the heart and act against cholesterol. It is important not to peel apples, as much of the fiber and antioxidants are there. Since the skin doesn’t go very much to our sweet recipes, let’s try to consume an apple a day as it is, to make the doctor go away!
Vintage caramel apple
Desserts with apples are the subject of today’s article and we will start in a kind of unorthodox way, with an apple that is not very healthy! Vintage apple dipped in red caramel for some sweet childhood memories…
Apple pie
The classic apple pie consists of pie dough filled with apple which is usually covered with a dough crust and baked in a round pan. We found the oldest recipe for apple pie in the world that was printed in 1381 in an English cookbook. In addition to apples, the recipe contained figs and raisins.
On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Americans consider this dessert to be so much their own that they have a proverb about apple pie: “as American as apple pie”. In reality, however, according to an article of Smithsonian magazine, apples arrived to America in the 19th century when agronomist John Chapman, known as Johny Appleseed, planted apple trees along the West Coast. Apples, however, did not look at all like the fruit we now call “apples”. Until the Prohibition (1920-1933) they were more likely to be used to produce cider, a popular alcoholic beverage of the time, than to be eaten.
Apple cobbler, apple crisp, apple crumble
Cobbler is an American dessert made in a deep pan, with fruit filling and a thick crust of biscuit or tart dough. We read that this dessert was created by British settlers, who were forced to improvise, not having the materials to make their favorite puddings.
Apple crisp, according to Wikipedia, makes its first appearance in 1924 in a recipe in Everybody’s Cook Book: A Comprehensive Manual of Home Cookery by Isabel Ely Lord.
What is the difference between crisp and crumble? Crisp is a dessert with fruit at the base and a crispy coating on top made of brown sugar, flour, oats, nuts, butter and spices, while, as we have learned, crumble has a similar coating which however rarely includes oats and nuts. According to Wikipedia, in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand they use the name crumble for both sweets, while in the US and Canada they use the make the names’ separation.
Apple fritters
And that’s how we get to fried dough… Apple fritters, a fried delicacy that we learned has been around for a long time! Fried dough exists from antiquity. Fried apples or “apple fritters” can be found in a 1769 recipe in The Lady’s, Housewife’s, and Cookmaid’s Assistant: or, the Art of Cookery.
Healthy crumbly apple pie by Eat Dessert First Greece
There is a saying in Greece that says if you don’t speak nicely of your home it will fall on your head, meaning that we must appreciate our things… In our previous article you’ll find the recipe for our healthy crumbly apple pie, together with the history of Tarte Tatin!
Apple-caramel layer cake
We also used apples in our birthday cake inspired by the flavors and aromas of apple pie: Eat Dessert First Layer Cake with walnut dacquoise, caramel mousse, apple jelly, crème diplomate και and walnut nougatine crisp. You’ll find it in our previous article!
We found lots of other apple sweets, but since we had already built an appetite, we’ll leave them for another time… In fall maybe when they will be in season again… Come on now, quickly to your kitchens for some yummy creations!
Apple doughnuts
We warmly thank Dioptra Publications for the book Γλυκά χωρίς… (2019) by Christos Vergados in which we found the following recipe!
*We are translating the original recipe, as it is published in the book.
Ingredients
| For the apple doughnuts |
| 3 red apples |
| 250 gr cake flour |
| 100 ml water |
| 50 ml cognac |
| 1 tsp baking powder |
| a pinch of salt |
| For the frying |
| 1/2 litre sesame oil |
| For garnish |
| honey |
| sesame seeds |
| ground cinnamon |
Method
Peel and grate the apples on a grater and place them in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well with a plastic spatula until homogenised and becoming a thick batter.
Heat the sesame oil in a deep saucepan. Use two tablespoons to spoon some of the mixture and pour it into the warm sesame oil. Flip the dougnuts at times to gain a uniform colour. Then place them on absorbant paper towel. As soon as they cool, garnish with honey, sesame seeds and cinnamon, and serve.
We used two tablespoons to shape our apple dougnuts. We fried them for some minutes on one side and some more on the other until they gained a nice golden colour.
Enjoy your honey-sesame-cinnamon-apple doughnuts everyone!
Eat Dessert First Greece 
Nice
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Thank you very much! 🙏
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👍👍👍
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Sounds and looks delicious 😋
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Thank you very much! 🙏🙏💞
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