Who’s in the kitchen: Apples compute no matter how you slice it

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I’ve always wanted to compare apples to apples, and figured, since the recipe I’m sharing with you this week is an apple cake, what better time than now?

 apples to Apples

 China produces 44% of the world’s apples, and 100% of the world’s Apples.

In 2009, 71,000,000 tons of apples were grown, and 138,000,000 tons of Apples were produced.

 The average apple orchard is 50 acres, while the average Apple store is .1 acre.

 The first apples were cultivated in Mesopotamia around 8,000 B.C.E. Before this, apples were sour, seedy, and inedible.

 The first Apple was built in 1976 by Steve Wosniak. Before this, computers were ugly, clunky and undesirable.

 There are over 7,500 varieties of apples and 400 varieties of Apples. 

Of the 7,500 varieties of apples, a few are standouts for those of us who like to bake and cook with them. 

McIntosh apples are sweet, slightly tart, juicy and have tender flesh. They are good eaten raw, made into applesauce, or baked in a pie. Like the Apple Mac computer, they are versatile, can be found in a student’s knapsack and are the most popular apple in New York.

 Honey Crisp was introduced fairly recently. They are sweet, slightly tart, and very juicy. They make a wonderful eating apple and are perfect for baking and sauces. 

Granny Smith is one of the most popular tart apples. They’re crisp, quite tart, and perfect for baking and cooking.

Golden Delicious are sweet with rich, mellow flavor. They are best for all around cooking as they maintain their shape after baking.

Mutsu (Crispin) are juicy and super crisp with a sweet refreshing flavor. They’re great for baking, eating, salads, freezing, and sauces.

Empire are firm textured and slightly tart. They are good for eating, pies, salads, sauces, freezing, and baking. 

Cortland are juicy, and slightly tart, but terrific for baking and are a welcome addition to fruit and cheese plates, as the flesh doesn’t brown quickly. 

When people hear the word apple, so many images come to mind.

Adam and Eve and eating the forbidden apple.

Sir Isaac Newton, sitting under an apple tree and observing the law of gravity, as he watched an apple fall ( or so the story goes).

n Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

n An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

n Apple Records

n Adam’s apple

n The Big Apple

n Bad apple

n William Tell

n Don’t upset the apple cart

n Applesauce

n Apple cider

n Apple vinegar

And let’s not forget Johnny Appleseed, whose real name was John Chapman. He spent 49 years of his life in the American wilderness, planting apple trees.

It was his dream to have blossoming apple trees, everywhere, so that no one would go hungry.

Of course, when I hear the word apple, I conjure up images of my apple cookie crumble pie or my moist apple cake that melts in your mouth. This week I’d like to share that apple cake recipe with you.

Ingredients:

 n 8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin

n 8 teaspoons sugar

n 3 teaspoons cinnamon

n 2 cups sugar

n 1 cup oil

n 4 eggs

n 3 cups flour

n 1 teaspoon salt

n 3 teaspoons baking powder

n ¼ cup orange juice

n 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

 

 Directions:

 Mix together first three ingredients, and set aside

 Beat together the sugar, oil and eggs until smooth

 Mix together the dry ingredients in another bowl, and add to the egg mixture, alternating with the orange juice and vanilla. Beat until smooth

 In a 10” 2 piece greased tub pan, pour a little less than half the batter. Top with half the apples, cover with the rest of the batter, and add the rest of the apples

 Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 75 minutes

 Remove from oven and let cool completely. Run a sharp knife around the sides of the cake and around the center tube, lift up the center portion of the pan with the cake         

 Slide the knife under the cake and lift the cake off the tube section of the pan. Place on a serving platter and enjoy!

 Oh, and a special thanks to Johnny Appleseed.

Judy Joszef is a pastry and personal chef as well as a party planner. She spent 18 years as a pastry chef at Abigael’s, The Cedar Club, Centro and T42 in the Five Towns, before launching her current business. She may be contacted via email at kneadthedough@aol.com.