Vanilla Blush Applesauce
For a pretty, pink-hued applesauce, use red-skinned apples and don’t peel them before cooking. If you prefer a sweet applesauce, stir ½ cup packed light brown sugar into warm, blended applesauce. Let stand, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. If you are not into canning, the applesauce may be placed in zip-top plastic freezer bags and frozen up to 2 months.
Apple-Cranberry Jam
Both apples and cranberries are naturally high in pectin, the component that causes food to “gel.” That means you won’t have to add supplements to get the jam to firm up, making this a great recipe for beginning canners. You can process the jam in large, 1-pint jars, but I like to use small, picnic-size jars to give as gifts.
Apple Butter-Bourbon Sauce
Serve with bone-in chicken pieces, pork chops, or ham slices. Because the sauce contains sugar, bake or grill the meat until 10 minutes from being done. Brush all sides and continue cooking until sauce has caramelized and meat is coated.
Slow-Cooker Apple Butter
Ideal Apples: As with applesauce, apple butter has a more complex, interesting flavor when a few different varieties of apples are used. Use the same apples as you would for applesauce (McIntosh, Cortland, Fuji, Braeburn, or Rome) or choose spicier varieties like Winesap.
Corn Fritters with Summer Bean Ragout
With fresh basil and a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar, the dish expresses a very specific moment in the year. I think you will feel the same.
Zucchini, Sweet Corn, and Basil Benne with Pine Nuts and Mozzarella
Zucchini, corn, and basil are quite a trio — one that I turn to over and over again. Here, they come together in a bright summer pasta showered with lemon juice and studded with pine nuts and mozzarella. I am sure you will want to enjoy it all season long.
Marinated Basil and Garlic Peppers on Goat Cheese Tartines
The peppers on these open-face sandwiches are better than anything you can pull out of a store-bought jar: Sweet and mildly spicy peppers are pan-roasted over high heat to make you think they’ve spent time on a grill.
