much to say about apples

What you have, eat.

And I always have apples. Never granny smith. I guess I just don't care for the pucker, I actually dread a granny smith apple. Apples always come home with me from the grocery store. And I am one of those shoppers that touches them. Not just a simple pick up, but, I poke them. I'm laughing right now, at myself, I laugh at me, with me, with the best of em. So if one day, you find that you brought home an apple with a finger size dent mark, well, you can point your finger at me!

 The apple. It may not be as cool as the mango, as pop worthy as the grape, or as special as the peach.  But it is the forbidden fruit! The fruit of knowledge! And it's definite crunch-able and slice-able. Take your pick.

I do all sorts of things with apples. It's perfect for getting rid of morning breath with just one bite (try it), I've eaten the whole thing on more than one occasion, leaving the seeds and stem behind, and I day dream about making apple pies and apple sauce. But, I love the Braeburn. It has the most crunch. On any given day, sometimes for breakfast, sometimes as a midnight snack, you can catch me slicing it into quarters, leaving just the core. And I usually concoct some sort of peanut butter dip.

North Carolina has the best apples! On Sunday, I got a "peck" of apples at the Farmer's Market. I love lingo for all sorts of things, and as for apples, there are 4 pecks in a bushel. A bushel is 40lbs, meaning I got 10lbs of apples! They are for more than just apple and dip this time around. I'm using them for a very special occasion. One of my bestest friends Callie, her sister is getting married, and this Saturday night, I'm catering the reception. 

The brides to be love my apple popovers.

In black apron, 3 days, 180 popovers. 

Just like apple pickings, it's a labor of love I tell you. Popover love. Apple love. love. love. love.

These are best if made ahead of time, they bake better frozen, and keeps you sane the day you're serving them!

Ingredients:

(makes 32 popovers)

1 box puff pastry sheets (contains two), thaw according to instructions

4 apples of your choice, sliced into match sticks, then diced

1 bag shredded cheddar cheese, the finely shredded kind

1 branch rosemary, minced

1 t. honey

1 T mayo

tiny dash paprika

1/2 t. salt

pepper

small bowl with water

Method:

Thaw puff pastry according to instructions. I like to open the box and lay it on the counter, flipping it a few times til I can tell it's getting soft.

A little advice on cutting your apples (this is for you Kim and all the other go for it cooks out there!). Quarter the apples like I do, then cut those quarters into thin slices. Then take those slices and stack them into a pile about 4 high. Now, carefully cut them into thin sticks. You will have lots of them, aka matchsticks! Now line them all up and cut them into cubes. It's all about moving the apples around on the cutting board to get the cut you want.

Add the apples, cheese, rosemary, honey, mayo, paprika, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and mix well. WITH YOUR HANDS! Crunch it all up, get it nice and mixed.

When the dough is thawed, I like to sprinkle some flour on the counter so the dough doesn't stick. I roll the pastry sheet lightly with a rolling pin, just twice, one vertical roll and one horizontal roll. Then with a sharp knife slice the dough into 4 rows and 4 columns. If I explained that correctly you will have 16 squares to work with.

WITH YOUR HANDS again, take a tiny spoonful size of apple-cheddar mix and squeeze it in your palm. Place the tiny wad in the center of a dough square. With the small bowl of water, dip your index finger in and lightly rub the edge of two connecting sides of the square. Fold into a triangle and press down sides. Press edges with the tip of a fork. Viola! Done. Lay on parchment paper or a baking pan or casserole dish. 

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. etc. Then wrap with saran wrap and freeze til ready to serve. Prob not much longer than two weeks. 

Cook at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Take a peek at twelve. Should be golden brown with cheese dripping out the sides.