Them Apples

At this time of year, local apples muscle their way into the pantry, edging out imports from Washington state and New Zealand. Which is fine by most New England cooks, who welcome the native fruits like old friends. At the orchard or a well-stocked supermarket, you'll find fresh-picked apples with enticing names like Mutsu (large green globes that make satisfying snacks and outstanding pies) and Honey Crisp (sweeter than they are snappy, but also great for baking). We like to cut the apples into wedges or slice thick rounds, then dredge them in sugar. Then, in a hot pan of foaming butter, we shake the fruit until the sugar begins to caramelize at the edges, giving the apples a deep golden tinge. A mound of them goes beside a plump pork chop or roast chicken or into a pot of simmering squash soup. For dessert, sauteed wedges are heaped onto cornmeal shortcakes with whipped cream.

APPLES FOR COOKING

Some apples fall apart when cooked. There are dishes - such as applesauce - in which you want the apples to turn to mush. For that, use McIntosh, which have lots of flavor but won't withstand a hot pan. For sauteeing or making pies, try Baldwin, Cortland, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Jonagold, Mutsu, Northern Spy, Pippin, or Rome Beauty.

SAUTEED APPLES
SERVES 4

Cut the apples into rounds for serving as a side dish; wedges are better for pureed soups or desserts.

4 medium cooking apples (see above)
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter

Halve the apples vertically and core them, then cut into wedges 1/2 inch thick at the rounded end. Or, for rounds, cut off the stem end, then slice 1/2-inch-thick pieces perpendicular to the stem. The rounds will have seeds, but that's OK. Sprinkle with sugar.

In a large cast-iron or other heavy-based skillet, melt the butter. When it is foaming, add the apples in one layer and cook over medium heat, turning gently, for about 8 minutes or until the apples soften and caramelize at the edges. Serve at once.

CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
SERVES 6

2 tablespoons butter
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder, or to taste
1 large peeled, seeded butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), cut into 3-inch pieces
1/2 recipe sauteed apple wedges (see above)
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock

In a large flameproof casserole, melt the butter. Add the onion with plenty of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the onion softens. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for half a minute. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the squash, apples, and stock. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the squashis tender when pierced with a fork.

Transfer the soup a little at a time to a blender. Puree the mixture and tip it into a clean pot. Return to a boil, taste for seasoning, and add pepper and more salt and curry powder if you like. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve at once.

APPLE CORNMEAL SHORTCAKES
SERVES 4

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into
12 pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/3, cup whole milk, or more if needed
Extra flour (for sprinkling)
Extra sugar (for sprinkling)
1 recipe sauteed apple wedges (see left)
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped (for serving)

Set the oven at 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry blender, mix the dry ingredients. Stir in the cornmeal. Scatter the butter onto the mixture and work it in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the sugar.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the milk into the bowl. With a fork, stir it into the mixture. Stir in the remaining milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough forms large clumps. Do not work it until it comes together.

Turn the clumps out onto a lightly floured counter. With a pastry scraper or blunt knife, cut into the clumps half a dozen times. As you cut, the pieces will come together to form a dough. Knead it gently, folding the dough onto itself until the bottom side is smooth. Turn the dough smooth side up.

With your palm, flatten the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick round. Cut the round into quarters and transfer them to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake the shortcakes for 18 minutes or until they are pale golden. Transfer them to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Split the shortcakes in half. Arrange a bottom half on each of 4 dessert plates. Divide the apples among the plates. Add whipped cream. Top with the other half and serve at once.

Ask the Cooks: Dry Run

I've been growing tricolor sage and rosemary in pots on my deck all summer and used them in all manner of cooking. The pots and plants are quite large, and I don't really want to bring them indoors. How do I dry these herbs for fall and winter meals?
Loretta A. Capezzuto /// North Reading

Savoring your own herbs in a winter stew or soup should unlock enough summer optimism and flavor to help you through the snow. To dry these edible perennials for future use, sharpen your garden clippers before the first killing frost. Make a clear cut when snipping the plants, leaving a substantial amount of stem attached to the leaves. Strip away any leaves around the stem base and loosely tie six to eight stems together, using string, wire, or elastic bands. Don't make the packets too tight, as the herbs' natural moisture can invite mold, which will render them inedible.

Hang the bundles, stems pointed up, from a nail or hook in an out-of-the-way dry place. Allow the leaves to gently dehydrate. In a few weeks, try to crumble the leaves in your fingers. Once they are brittle, rub them between your palms over a clean cookie sheet and collect the fragments in zipper bags or airtight containers. The stems can yield the same flavor as the leaves, so save them as well, in their own plastic bags or airtight containers. They can be wrapped in cheesecloth and used in a stock or sauce, placed in a vase to add fragrance to a room, or burned in the fireplace for an aromatic reminder of summer grilling.

This week's answer is by Peter J. Kelly, a chef-instructor at Johnson & Wales.