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Wednesday, October 24, 2001
Red delicious
Learn to create fruit-accented main dishes (and of course, dessert) for Driscoll's annual apple sale
By Leanne Libby
Caller-Times

David Pellerin/Caller-Times
Bushel basket and foliage provided by Hobby Lobby Creative Centers.

We talked to Driscoll Children's Hospital employees about some of their favorite apple recipes, including (from top) Sandy's Swedish Apple Pie; Asparagus, Apple and Chicken Salad; Sautéed Apples and Pork with Mustard Sauce; and Cinnamon Apples with Dumplings.

While fall temperatures in the Coastal Bend aren't consistently crisp just yet, crisp Washington apples are on their way.
   The Six Points Kiwanis Club 19th annual apple sale rolls into Driscoll Children's Hospital front parking lot Saturday morning, bringing more than 1,000 cases of red delicious and golden delicious apples. Over the years, the club has raised more than $174,000 for the hospital.
   The sale's growing popularity means many of the cases sell before the two refrigerated 18-wheelers pull into the parking lot. Pre-paid orders are highly recommended.
   The apples sell by the 40-pound case. Sinking your teeth into a healthy snack is one thing, but hauling home 80 to 100 apples might mean it's time to arm yourself with a bushel of recipes. We asked Driscoll Children's Hospital employees about some of their favorite apple concoctions.
   Lettuce have salad
   Cathy Barfield collects cookbooks and recipes. A couple of years ago, she came across an asparagus, apple and chicken salad and thought it was just the thing for a light lunch or dinner.

David Pelliren/Caller-Times

Asparagus, apple and chicken salad is served with a vinaigrette dressing, which gives it a sweet and sour taste.

   "A lot of people, when they first see it, don't think it looks like a good combination," Barfield said. "But when they taste it, they say, 'Wow! I'm impressed!'"
   The key says Barfield, 47, is to serve the salad with a vinaigrette dressing, which gives it a sweet and sour taste. "I use apples a lot," said Barfield, a transcriptions operations coordinator. "Sometimes I will just slice them and add a little sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and put them in a microwave."
   A-peeling main course
   Cissy Galan didn't have to look far for her sautéed apples and pork with mustard sauce recipe.
   "It's just from an old family cookbook my mother had years ago," she said. "She cooked it for us as children."

Apple sale...
What: Six Points Kiwanis Club 19th annual apple sale When: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday Where: Driscoll Children’s Hospital front parking lot, 3533 S. Alameda St. Cost: $30 per case (approx. 40 lbs. and 80 to 100 apples) More Info: 854-4165 (Pre-sale tickets available)

   Galan, the hospital's development coordinator, said she likes the combination of the tangy sauce and the sweet apples. She also revealed a recipe secret: adding chicken bullion to the dish pumps up the flavor.
   Just desserts
   Human resources assistant, Sandy Rossetti sounded a little sheepish when she talked about where she got her Swedish apple pie recipe.
   "It's a 4-H recipe," Rossetti, 50, confessed. "I picked it up at a contest years ago."
   The sour cream gives the pie a custard-like consistency, Rossetti said. The apples can be slightly crunchy or like an applesauce, depending on how long they're cooked before going into the mix.
   The pie spends a fair amount of time in the oven, Rossetti noted, so she put her kitchen foil to work to keep the crust from burning.
   "Put an aluminum tent over it and take it off the last 15 minutes so the topping will get crunchy," she said.

David Pelliren/Caller-Times

In Sandy Rossetti’s Swedish apple pie the apples can be slightly crunchy or like an applesauce, depending on how long they’re cooked before going into the mix.

   Jennifer Dragoo's cinnamon apples with dumplings also has a touch of youth. The recipe calls for cinnamon-flavored candy.
   "It came from my mother-in-law's cookbook," Dragoo, 31, said. "We added cinnamon candy instead of regular cinnamon."
   Regular cinnamon, Dragoo found, floated to the top of the pot, but the candy melted and flavored the apples.
   ASPARAGUS, APPLE AND CHICKEN SALAD
   1 cup fresh asparagus, cut in 1-inch pieces
   2 teaspoons honey
   1/2 teaspoon of salt
   2 tablespoons cider vinegar
   2 tablespoons vegetable oil
   2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
   1/4 teaspoon pepper
   1 cup cooked, cubed chicken
   1/2 cup diced red apple
   2 cups torn lettuce greens
   alfalfa sprouts (optional)
   Cook asparagus in small amount of water until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes; drain and cool. In mixing bowl, combine next six ingredients. Stir in chicken, apple and asparagus. Toss and serve over greens. Garnish with alfalfa sprouts if desired.
   Yield: 4 1-cup servings
   Source: Cathy Barfield
   SAUTéED APPLES AND PORK WITH MUSTARD SAUCE
   1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   1/2 teaspoon black pepper
   4, 3-ounce lean pork steaks
   3 tablespoons butter or margarine
   2 tablespoons cooking oil
   2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
   2 tablespoons minced onion
   1 cup apple juice
   1/2 cup dry white wine
   1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
   2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
   1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
   In pie plate or shallow dish, combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
   Dredge pork steaks in flour mixture to lightly coat all sides. In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter and oil over medium heat. Add pork and cook until brown on both sides and juices run clear.
   Remove pork steaks to heated platter and reserve. Add remaining tablespoon of butter to skillet. Sauté apples and onions until both are tender. Remove apples to platter with pork.
   Add apple juice and wine to skillet and simmer for 5 minutes. Combine yogurt, mustard, thyme and remaining tablespoon of flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir into apple juice mixture. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring until smooth. Spoon sauce over pork steaks and apples and serve.
   Yield: 8 to 10 servings
   Source: Cissy Galan
   CINNAMON APPLES WITH DUMPLINGS
   1/2 cup flour (plus 1 tablespoon)
   6 tablespoons sugar
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   1 teaspoon baking powder
   1 cup apple juice or cider
   1 tablespoon cinnamon candies
   2 1/2 cups sliced, peeled apples
   1 tablespoon flour
   2 tablespoon margarine
   1/4 cup skim milk
   Combine 1/2 cup flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, salt and baking powder. With a pastry blender or two forks, cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.
   In 2-quart saucepan, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour. Add apple juice, stirring until smooth. Mix in cinnamon candies and apples. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils.
   Stir milk into flour and margarine mixture, mixing until smooth. Drop dough, about 1/4 at a time, over boiling apple mixture. Cover pan and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes or until dumplings are cooked. (Cooked dumplings will resemble little cakes. The dough drops to the bottom of the pan when it enters and will rise when it is done.)
   Cool slightly before serving in individual dishes. Top with whipped topping or whipped cream.
   Yield:4 to 6 servings
   Source: Jennifer Dragoo
   SANDY'S SWEDISH APPLE PIE
   2 cups cooked apples (about 6 large granny smith apples, boiled over medium heat for about 20 minutes)
   2 tablespoons flour
   3/4 cup sugar
   dashsalt
   1 egg
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   1 cup sour cream
   9-inch pie shell
   Topping:
   2/3 cup flour
   1 teaspoon cinnamon
   2/3 cup sugar
   1/4 cup butter
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash cooked apples slightly. Add flour, sugar and salt. Beat egg and vanilla, and add to apple mixture. Fold in sour cream. Pour into 9-inch pie shell. Bake for 40 minutes.
   Blend topping ingredients together with a fork. Sprinkle over pie. Bake pie for an additional 45 minutes.
   Yield: 8 to 10 servings
   Source: Sandy Rossetti


Contact Leanne Libby at 886-3615 or libbyl@caller.com

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