Desserts Archives - Good Food St. Louis

10 Apple Recipes to Sweeten the Fall

September 25, 2022

Apple desserts begin here.

How Do You Like Them Apples?

If you have a few apples on hand and the basics (flour, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla) you’ve got the makin’s of a quick and tasty dessert. I’ve found these 10 recipes especially handy over the years: apple cake, apple pie, baked apples, Swedish apple cake, homemade applesauce, French apple cake, and fried apples.

I also include a couple of entrees: pork chops with sauerkraut and potatoes and another with sausage and onions. Also a broccoli-apple salad.

Grab a bag of apples the next time you’re at the grocery and treat yourself, family, and friends to one of these favorites.

Apple of My Eye

Apple Cake

This moist, spicy apple cake is baked with chunks of apples and nuts for old-timey taste and comfort. As the days shorten and the nights grow cooler, apple cake make the perfect dessert for any occasion. I prefer this one because it has a glaze rather than a heavy icing.

Apple Pie

Apple Pie with its flaky, buttery crust loaded with sweet and spicy apples has become a symbol of Americana. Most popular apples for pie baking are Granny Smith, Gala or Macintosh or a combination.

Baked Apples

When you don’t want something too elaborate, baked apples make an easy, warm dessert. Served with a scoop of ice cream, it’s a simple autumn delicacy. My mother made them often, especially when we had an abundance of the fruit following our annual apple pickin’ trip to the orchards of Winchester, VA. This is a good gluten free dessert and perfect for breakfast the next day.

Swedish Apple Cake

Swedish Apple Cake, or Swedish Visiting Cake, is a foolproof recipe that comes together in under 10 minutes. It’s named for the haste in which a homemaker could throw together the cake for company.

Homemade Applesauce

Turning apples into applesauce is pretty easy and can be done with peeled or unpeeled apples, sweetened to your taste, and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. A mix of apples gives a better dimension to the sauce. Kids and seniors love applesauce and it goes with most any meal. I always offer it at Thanksgiving.

French Apple Cake

French Apple Cake is soft, tender and brimming with fruit—actually more apple than cake. This recipe is one of Dorie Greenspan’s favorites from her book Around My French Table. There’s a touch of rum!

Fried Apples

About all you need for Fried Apples is a cast iron skillet and a few simple ingredients: butter, apples, a bit of brown sugar and lemon juice. The sliced, flavorful apples are perfect for any meal of the day, but I like them best at breakfast with pancakes or with pork dishes.

Sausage with Apples and Onions

This recipe is easy and adaptive. With a salad and chunk of artisan bread, the dish makes a tasty meal, that’s just right for this time of the year.

Pork Chops, Sauerkraut, Potatoes and Apples

A complete casserole meal. Recipe.

Apple Broccoli Salad

Apple Broccoli Salad

The Lost and Found Under the Kitchen Sink

April 20, 2022

A Drenching Departure

My kitchen faucet took leave of me last week. But not before it gave me and the floor a good soaking. While clearing out the under-sink cabinet for the plumber, I poked my head into the dark abyss. It was scary in there. The space looked like Hanger 51 in an Indian Jones flick.

The kitchen purgatory with its crook-necked water pipes, a garbage disposal, cleaning supplies, and unused cookware had become the final resting place for far too much “stuff.”

Ahh. . . but, all was not lost. A plumber introduced me to a new Grohe faucet. We have since bonded and all is well again.

Found in Hiding

As I sorted through the under sink cavern, I marveled at both the treasure and trinkets that I turned up. Most items were put there years ago for safe keeping or easy access. Instead they disappeared.

How exciting to come upon 5 packets of kitchen sponges nesting in a back corner. (Right away, I struck those from my grocery list.) Likewise, for the partially-filled containers of dishwashing liquid.

A fire extinguisher commanded space in the opposite corner. It came with my condo 20 years ago. I was ready to get rid of it, but my plumber intervened, telling me its “Best Use By” date was still valid. He was joking, I think. Even so, I gave the canister a swipe with a wet rag and stuck it back in the corner.

I also recovered my long lost garbage disposal wrench. I put it in a labeled Ziploc bag and put it back into hiding.

More Surprises

My most interesting discovery was a Nordic ware shortcake pan. I must’ve thought I needed it at one time, though it was still wrapped in the original cardboard band. The recipe on the label was so simple, that I was attracted to it once again.

The opposite side of my re-discovered shortcake pan, showing the design that makes home baked shortbread more charming.

A baking spray that includes flour makes it easy to remove the cups from the mold.

All ingredients in this recipe are mixed in the same bowl. According to the recipe, you can fill the cups (3/4’s full) with a cake mix. Or use it for individual gelatin molds. (Kitchen Note: I cut back on the amount of sugar because I prefer a less sweet batter. Next time I also plan to add a bit of orange zest and/or rum.

This Shortbread Basket currently ranges in price from $26 to $36 on line, so you might want to hang it on your kitchen wall as artwork.

Springtime Colorful

When cooked and cooled, fruit and whipped cream can be inserted into each of the shortcake baskets. The festive dessert will give you a quick, kid-friendly finale for a special occasion.

Having had such good fortune in cleaning out my under-sink cabinet, I’m eager to move onto nearby shelves. Who knows what treasures lurk in those dark, secluded corners? I don’t.