A Delicious Apple Dilemma: Choosing the Right Variety for Every Dish

Sugar Bee, Redfree, Pippin, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Pristine, Enterprise, Cortland, Mutsu, Ginger Gold, Winesap, Jonathan, Granny Smith. Please don’t forget the HoneyCrisp and the SweeTango.

While I want to eat them all, it’s a delicious struggle to keep the varieties straight. And to know which apple is best for cooking, eating out-of-hand, or tucking into a double-crust pie.

To help, I bring scraps of paper to the local farmers markets to tag the varieties purchased. At home, we taste and take notes. Every year, I find a new-to-me variety that excites. This year, the gorgeous, mottled, bright-red Redfree tops my list for everyday eating, as does the vibrant yellow-greenish Pristine for sautéing with pork chops.

When I can’t remember which apple is which, they all get peeled, chopped, and tossed with a little sugar for a multi-variety, one-of-a-kind applesauce.

Homemade applesauce has little resemblance to store-bought. The cook controls the sweetness and the texture. Vary the seasonings to suit tastes—simple sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove flavor applesauce perfectly suited to eating warm, or as an accompaniment to pancakes and waffles.

Season the mashed apples with a touch of curry and cayenne for a savory sauce that pairs well with roasted meat and poultry. Serve either version alongside savory pancakes made from shredded potatoes, carrots, and apples.

For the pancakes, a four-sided grater makes easy work of shredding peeled apples and potatoes. (Skip peeling the potatoes if the skin is thin, such as that on a golden potato.) Add some shredded carrots to the mix for a crunchy texture; save time and use pre-shredded carrots from the produce aisle. Egg and flour hold the shredded vegetables together; season the mixture with garlic and fresh herbs.

Shredded vegetable pancakes can be served as part of a brunch or as a main for a meatless dinner. Break from the traditional sour cream accompaniment and offer a whipped cream flavored with apple butter. This apple whipped cream also tastes great over sautéed apples or dolloped on traditional pancakes.

Shredded Apple-Potato-Carrot Pancakes

Makes 12, serving 3 or 4

• 4 medium-sized golden potatoes, about 1 1/4 pounds total

• 2 medium-sized Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples

• 2 large eggs

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 large clove garlic, crushed

• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, optional

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon each: baking powder, freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup shredded carrots

• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

• Vegetable oil for high-heat cooking, such as expeller-pressed canola, safflower, sunflower, or avocado oil

• Chopped fresh chives or thinly sliced green onions, for garnish

• Whipped apple cream, recipe follows

• Chunky applesauce, recipe follows

Use the largest holes on a four-sided grater to shred potatoes into a bowl. You should have about 2 cups. Transfer to a colander set in the sink. Peel the apples and shred on the same side of the grater into the bowl. Transfer to the colander with the potatoes.

Use clean hands to squeeze liquid out of shredded potatoes and apples. (You may get as much as 1 cup of liquid, which can be discarded.)

Mix eggs, flour, garlic, thyme, salt, baking powder, and pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in carrots and onion. Add squeezed, shredded potatoes and apples. Use clean hands to mix well.

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Have a baking sheet lined with paper towels near the cooking surface.

Pour oil to a depth of 1/4-inch into a large, deep-sided nonstick or cast-iron skillet. Heat oil over medium heat until the edge of a crust of bread or the green onion sizzles. Adjust heat to medium-low so oil is hot but not smoking.

Use a 1/4-cup measure to scoop the apple mixture into the oil. Use a metal or silicon heatproof spatula to flatten the mound. Repeat to cook several pancakes at once, but keep the pan from becoming too crowded.

Cook, adjusting the heat between medium and medium-low, until bottoms are crisp and deeply golden, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip pancakes (use a second spatula to help), and cook the second side until golden and crispy, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spatula, letting excess oil drain back into the pan, and place the pancake on a prepared baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batter.

Serve pancakes garnished with chives. Pass whipped apple cream and chunky applesauce.

Whipped Apple Cream

Makes about 2 cups

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1/4 cup creme fraiche or mascarpone

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons store-bought apple butter

Put cream into a medium-sized bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until frothy. Beat in creme fraiche and salt until soft peaks form. Beat in apple butter just until incorporated. Refrigerate covered up to 2 days.

Chunky Applesauce, Two Ways

Makes about 3 cups

Note: Use a mixture of sweet and tart apples here for a one-of-a kind sauce.

• 6 large apples, total 2 1/2 pounds

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated rind from 1/2 lemon

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Seasoning Choices

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• Pinch ground cloves

OR

• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Peel apples. Cut into quarters and cut out cores. Cut into 1-inch chunks. You will have 8 cups.

Put apple chunks, sugar, and 1/2 cup of water in a large saucepan. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and cook covered, stirring often, until the apples are soft and falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes. The cooking time depends on the types of apples used.) Mash until you reach the desired consistency of chunkiness. Remove from heat.

Stir in butter, salt, lemon rind, and juice. Then season as desired with either the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves or the curry and cayenne. Serve warm.