{"id":27157,"date":"2018-10-16T09:01:54","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T13:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=27157"},"modified":"2018-10-16T09:02:00","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T13:02:00","slug":"on-your-table-making-the-best-of-this-years-apple-harvest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=27157","title":{"rendered":"On Your Table: Making the best of this year’s apple harvest"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Cathy Branciaroli<\/strong>,\u00a0 Food Correspondent, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo Caption:\u00a0 Brining pork tenderloins in apple cider and spices yields a moist, juicy and flavorful result.<\/p><\/div>\n

Think apples are \u201cAs American as Apple Pie\u201d?\u00a0 Think again.\u00a0 Apples as we know them today were not native to North America. When early colonists arrived from Europe, they disdained the tiny crab apples they found here and brought cuttings and seeds from their homelands in order to savor treasured orchard apples in the New World.<\/p>\n

Here in the midst of National Apple Month and following on the heels of Johnny Appleseed\u2019s birthday we should be grateful to those colonists even though it turns out that they cultivated apples primarily to make cider because it was safer to drink than water and easier to produce than beer.<\/p>\n

Today only about 100 apple varieties are grown commercially in the United States, according to Lena Dati of North Star Orchards in Cochranville, Chester County.\u00a0 But in their orchards they cultivate more than 300 different types of heritage or antique types.\u00a0 Right now, late season varieties such as Golden Russet, which is sweet with an aroma of tangerine and possibly the oldest variety in the US, will be available into late November.<\/p>\n

All varieties are suited for their tasks, Dati said, whether it\u2019s providing that satisfying crispy crunch when eating fresh out of hand or lending sweetness to a baked dessert such as apple cake, her personal favorite.\u00a0 So how to choose when market baskets brimming with so many types and varieties are so enticing? \u00a0It depends on what you are making, not to mention the flavor and texture of the apple.<\/p>\n

To aid in selecting, here is a short guide from the American Apple Association for types and uses.<\/p>\n

Braeburn.<\/strong> Medium crisp, sweet tart. Best used for pie, baking whole or chunky sauces
\nCortland<\/strong>. Large, tender, resists browning.\u00a0 Best used for chunky sauces.
\nEmpire.<\/strong>\u00a0 Crist, juicy, sweet-tart, fragrant. All purpose apple.
\nFuji.<\/strong> Medium, firm, cream-color flesh, tangy, sweet.\u00a0 Best eaten raw.
\nGala.<\/strong>\u00a0 Medium, firm, juicy sweet.\u00a0 Best eaten raw or in salads.
\nGolden Delicious<\/strong>.\u00a0 Medium, firm, sweet, fragrant.\u00a0 Best in pie or chunky sauces.
\nGranny Smith.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 Medium, crunchy, tart, juicy.\u00a0 Best for pie or baking.
\nHoney Crisp.<\/strong> \u00a0Medium, sweet, firm.\u00a0 Many uses including pies and eating raw.
\nMcIntosh.<\/strong>\u00a0 Medium, tender, fragrant.\u00a0 Best for smooth sauces like applesauce.
\nJonagold.<\/strong>\u00a0 Large, crisp sweet-tart, fragrant.\u00a0 Best for pies and baking.<\/p>\n

Pink Lady.<\/strong>\u00a0 Medium, creamy flesh, juicy, sweet.\u00a0 Best for pie.<\/p>\n

Rome Beauty.<\/strong>\u00a0 Large, firm mildly-tart, juicy.\u00a0 Best for baking whole.<\/p>\n

Lucky for me, I wasn\u2019t forced to choose.\u00a0 Using apple cider in a brine prior to roasting my pork tenderloins insured a mix of varieties would contribute to my comfy and hearty fall dinner.\u00a0 Pork in general benefits from brining and the cider brine worked magic, imparting sweetness, juiciness and tons of flavor, which was heightened by drizzling the meat with a pan sauce for serving.\u00a0 Roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, Red Onions and Granny Smith apples rounded out the meal.<\/p>\n

The best part?\u00a0 Other than the time for brining, this was a fast and nearly effortless meal to prepare.<\/p>\n

North Star\u2019s farm store is open Thursday \u2013 Sunday at 3232 Limestone Rd, Cochranville, PA 19330.\u00a0 Check their website for farm store hours: https:\/\/northstarorchard.com\/<\/p>\n

Cider-Brined Pork Loin with Roasted Potatoes and Apples
\n<\/u><\/strong>
\nIngredients for the Brine:
\n<\/u>2 cups apple cider
\n\u00bd cup granulated sugar
\n3 tbs salt
\n3 cloves garlic, chopped
\n1 tsp ground black pepper
\n1 tsp fennel seed
\n\u00bd tsp ground coriander
\n1 inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced<\/p>\n

Ingredients for the Pork and Pan-Sauce:
\n<\/u>2 – 1 to 1\u00bd lb pork tenderloins (this should be sold in one package)
\n1\u00bd lb small Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
\n1-2 large red onions (about 1 lb) cut into 1 inch wedges
\n2-3 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled and cut into 2-3 inch wedges
\n3 tbs olive oil
\n2 tbs unsalted butter<\/p>\n

1-2 tbs roughly chopped fresh rosemary
\n2 cups apple cider for sauce<\/p>\n

Preparation:<\/p>\n

For Marinade:<\/u>\u00a0 In a small bowl, stir together the cider, sugar and salt till sugar dissolves.\u00a0 Add remaining seasonings till combined.\u00a0 Place the tenderloins into a 1 gallon ziplock bag, pour in the marinade, squeeze out the air, seal and refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight.<\/p>\n

For the roast<\/u>:\u00a0 Preheat oven to 425 degrees.\u00a0 Remove the tenderloins from the bag, discard the marinade, pat dry the loins, and using kitchen twine, tie the loin in three places at even intervals.\u00a0 Place prepared tenderloins on an ungreased rimmed baking pan.\u00a0 Dab with olive oil, season with 1 tsp pepper and a sprinkling of the rosemary, reserving about half for the vegetables.<\/p>\n

For the vegetables<\/u>:\u00a0 Using another baking pan, place the prepared vegetables in a single layer, drizzle with olive oil and season with 1 tsp salt, pepper and remaining rosemary.
\n
\nRoasting:<\/u>\u00a0 Place both baking pans in the oven on a middle rack, side by side.\u00a0 Roast for 30 minutes then check the vegetables for doneness and remove when browned and crisp.\u00a0 Continue to roast the pork till browned and a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 140 degrees.\u00a0 Total cooking time on the meat will be 30-40 minutes.\u00a0 Remove the tenderloins from oven and the tray.\u00a0 Let rest on a platter.
\n
\nFor the pan sauce:<\/u>\u00a0 Using a spatula, remove the juice and any meat particles to a saucepan and cook over medium stove heat with the butter and 1 tbs of olive oil.\u00a0 Cook, stirring often and scraping up any brown bits till simmering.\u00a0 Add 2 cups of cider and bring to boil, stirring constantly.\u00a0 Reduce heat and continue stirring till thickened, about 3-5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.<\/p>\n

To serve:<\/u>\u00a0 Remove the twine from the meat.\u00a0 Slice the tenderloins diagonally into \u00bd inch pieces.\u00a0 Sprinkle with salt.\u00a0\u00a0 Serve on a platter with the apples, potatoes and onion and top with the sauce.<\/p>\n

Cathy Branciaroli also writes about her adventures in the kitchen on her award-winning blog <\/em>Delaware Girl Eats<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cathy Branciaroli,\u00a0 Food Correspondent, The Times Think apples are \u201cAs American as Apple Pie\u201d?\u00a0 Think again.\u00a0 Apples as we know them today were not native to North America. When early colonists arrived from Europe, they disdained the tiny crab apples they found here and brought cuttings and seeds from their homelands in order to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[7010,138,5737,10976,6269,10977],"class_list":["post-27157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-apples","tag-chester-county","tag-cooking","tag-fall-produce","tag-featured","tag-national-apple-month"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27157"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27158,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27157\/revisions\/27158"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}