Fall is here! While the weather might not feel quite like it yet, the seasons changed Monday. This time of year, in addition to pumpkins, turkeys and the like, apples are a traditional favorite.

In North Carolina, ranked seventh in apple production in the United States, peak harvest time is mid-August through October.

Beyond just eating apples as-is, here are some ideas for preparing the fruit:

Apple Blue Cheese Spread with Pecans
Deborah J. Ivey, Chef Tournant
The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, Asheville
Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese

½ cup sour cream

2 cups finely chopped apples

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

¼ cup chopped red onions

¼ cup chopped pecans

What to Do

Beat cream cheese spread and sour cream in medium bowl until well blended. Add apples, blue cheese, onions and pecans; mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours. Serve with Triscuits or Wheat Thins.

 

Cheese Apples

Courtney Wallace

Mrs. Wheeler – 3rd Grade

MES: A Recipe for Success, 2001

“Sweet and tasty! A family favorite handed down by Courtney’s grandmother.”

Ingredients

7 medium-size tart apples

¾ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup flour

¼ cup butter

1 cup sharp cheese, grated

6 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

What to Do

Combine sugar, salt and flour. Cut in butter until mixture is coarse. Mix in cheese. Set aside.

Combine water and lemon juice. Toss apples (peeled, cored, cut into slivers) in lemon water. Spoon into greased baking dish. Sprinkle cheese mixture over apples and pat down gently. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes. Serves 6.

 

Applesauce-Bran Pancakes

Peggy Saporito

Fifty Years and Still Cookin’

Town of Nags Head 50^th Anniversary Committee, 2011

Ingredients

2 eggs

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons margarine, melted

1 cup applesauce

¾ cup 100% bran flakes

¾ cup flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup nuts, chopped

Margarine

Syrup

What to Do

In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, milk, melted margarine and applesauce. Stir in bran, let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder and salt just until moistened. Pour batter onto a medium preheated, lightly greased griddle for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned turn, brown on other side. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200°F oven. Serve with margarine and syrup.

 

Apple Pie

Winona Burroughs

From Old Salem Cookbook

In Keeping the Faith, 2009

Hatteras United Methodist Church

Ingredients

¾ cup sugar

4 tablespoons flour

Salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Juice of one lemon

1 teaspoon lemon rind

4 tart apples

Pie crust (double)

2 tablespoons butter

What to Do

Mix sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon lemon rind. Sprinkle 1/3 of this mixture on bottom of unbaked pieshell. Top with thick layer of peeled, sliced apples. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture and juice of one lemon. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of crust and with water and cover with top curst. Bake in hot oven 450°F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking until done.

 

Applesauce Cake

W. Bryan Hooper

Cooking with Salvo, 1996

Compiled by the Salvo Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil

1 (16-ounce) can applesauce

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cloves

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup pecans or walnuts

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup raisins

What to Do

Mix oil, applesauce and sugar in one bowl. Blend all other ingredients in another bowl. Mix together and pour into a tube or loaf pan. Bake at 325°F for one hour, until cake tests done.

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