I have craved apples ever since the first hints of autumn
began to change the leaves from green to russet, gold, and orange. So I was
thrilled when W. W. Norton and Company sent me a copy of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook by Amy Traverso. All you could possibly
want to know about apples can be found in this book, from the history and a
primer on what apples work best in particular dishes, to cider tasting notes
and where to buy mail-order apples.
Plus, Traverso has included a large recipe selection, both
sweet and savory. You should see all of the Post-It flags sticking out of my
copy. I’ll be making apple dishes well into winter!
My first selection was Baked Apple Oatmeal Pudding, primarily
because I was hungry for breakfast at the time. This recipe is similar to bread
pudding, except old-fashioned oatmeal is used instead of bread. The flavor was
wonderful. I tried it first served warm with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, as
the recipe suggested. It was good, but I liked it even better the next day warm
with a bit of half and half poured over the top. Just reheat a bowl full in the
microwave and then pour on the half and half. Cream would also be lovely,
whipped or not.
My only recipe adjustments were to increase the amount of
cinnamon and add a little nutmeg. Plus I used walnuts instead of
the called-for pecans, only because that’s what I had on-hand.
Yummm! Now I have a warm, delicious and satisfying breakfast
for the entire week.
Baked Apple Oatmeal Pudding
Adapted from The Apple
Lover’s Cookbook by Amy Traverso
Serves 6
2 cups rolled (old-fashioned) oatmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup roughly chopped dried fruit (I used regular and golden raisins.)
1 3/4 cup diced firm-sweet apples (I used Red Delicious from the farmers market.)
2 cups milk (I used non-fat.)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter the inside of a
2-quart baking dish and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oatmeal, baking
powder, salt, walnuts, dried fruit, and apples. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, brown
sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in the oatmeal mixture to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Place into
the oven and bake until the center is set and the top is golden brown, between
50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm.
Can you make that in sugar free or low calorie...lol
ReplyDeleteI have regular salt. Does regular-vs-kosher really matter?
ReplyDeleteStacey, for regular salt, just use half the amount, or 3/8 teaspoon.
ReplyDeleteKim, this recipe really isn't that bad, but you could cut back on the brown sugar if you'd like! :)
That book sounds awesome, I'm a big apple fan! Bet there's some real awesome stuff in there. This looks by far, the tastiest thing I've witnessed today!
ReplyDelete