Finding new and a-peel-ing ways to use apples: Jasmine Mangalaseril

With cooler temperatures and leaves turning gold and copper, apple harvest season is well underway. 

While many of us might be ready to crunch into them or bake them in pies or fritters, apple butter and hard apple cider are having a moment as people discover – or rediscover – this "new" food and drink.

You can do more with them than spread apple butter on toast or sip a cider on the back deck. Chef Nick Benninger and Chef Cecelia Johnston have tasty and easy kitchen inspirations and tips to help you make the most of these tasty fall treats.

A staple in many Waterloo region kitchens, apple butter was brought over by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers and is part of the "seven-sweets-seven-sours" that are traditionally part of their meals.

It's easy to make, but time intensive. Apples – peels, flesh, and sometimes cores – are cooked, pureed, and cooked again (uncovered) with spices, sugars, and vinegar or lemon juice, until it's thick with a rich, deep colour.

"When we make our apple butter, we generally cook it for about 10 to 15 hours," said Chef Cecelia Johnston, of Waterloo's Ce Food Experience & The Bakery. "We just let it cook down and it goes from white to a rich golden dark brown."

Johnston's apple butters are lighter in colour and looser than some. And she infuses hers with flavours like Earl Grey Tea or Masala Chai. 

Meanwhile, Stratford's Bruce Hotel's events and tourism director, chef Nick Benninger, likes to use apple butters in savoury dishes

"The awesome thing about apple butter is it's got umami," explained Benninger. "It's loaded with this indescribable flavour that's not necessarily apples because it's so concentrated and cooked down." 

Something savoury:

Johnston suggested spooning it on over easy eggs: "The fattiness of that yolk and the nice sharpness of that apple butter. It's such a beautiful balance and then just a little bit of balsamic glaze on top."

Something sweet:

Tariq Ahmed's Revel Cider is one of a handful of local cideries. An internship at Manorun Organic Farm sparked his interest in fermentation and, while still in university, led him to found his Guelph-based company.

He works exclusively with Ontario fruit producers, using apples ranging from grocery store favourites to classic cider varieties like Stoke Red and Tremlett's Bitter.