APPLES AND EGGS make a sweet breakfast combination, no matter how you crack it. Baked or fried, in the oven or on the stove, apples add bold, tangy flavor and a pleasing texture that contrasts nicely with light, soft eggs.
These recipes feature Ginger Gold, an outstanding early season apple that is being picked now in some orchards.
Watch this one-minute video to learn about Ginger Gold’s characteristics and history:
Visit Apple Finder at newenglandapples.lndo.site to find out who grows Ginger Golds near you.
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Apple Puff Omelet is from the book America’s Apple. In addition to a chapter on food and recipes, America’s Apple tells how apples are cultivated, packed, and sold through stories from people who grow them.
Author Russell Steven Powell and photographer Bar Lois Weeks crisscrossed the country interviewing growers in New England and apple-growing states Washington, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan, visiting more than 50 orchards.
In addition to looking at how apples are grown today, America’s Apple includes chapters on Massachusetts native John Chapman, better remembered as Johnny Appleseed. and on heirloom apples.
Apple Puff Omelet
I can hear them now, sizzling away in the cast iron skillet, a colorful mix of apples glistening in melted butter, soon to grace our brunch table. The contrast between fluffy meringue and soft apples is exquisite. This elegant, delicious dish comes together and bakes quickly.
If you are the kind of person to start up slow in the morning, you can core and slice the apples the night before, drizzle lemon juice over them to reduce browning, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
2 Ginger Gold or other New England apples, unpeeled, cored, thinly sliced
¼ c butter
3 T brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
4 eggs
3 T sugar
¼ t cream of tartar
(optional) 1 T confectioners sugar
Preheat oven to 450°F.
In a large, heavy skillet on low heat, sauté apples for 5 minutes in melted butter until slightly softened. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over apples and sauté 10 more minutes, until caramelized. Spoon mixture into 8″ x 8″ square baking dish and set aside.
Separate egg yolks into a small bowl, and the whites into a large bowl. Whisk yolks with 3 T sugar until thick.
Beat whites with cream of tartar until stiff. Fold into yolk mixture. Pour egg mixture over apples.
Bake 8-10 minutes until puffy and golden.
Optional: Sprinkle with confectioners sugar before serving.
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APPLES GO WELL with almost any food, and sweet cherries are no exception. Now is the ideal time of year to combine fresh cherries and early season apples like Ginger Gold in this unusual egg dish, Apple Cherry Bake.
Only a handful of cherries are needed to provide the apples with rich color and a touch of sweetness, and the recipe, adapted from Whole Smiths, uses honey instead of sugar. Vanilla lovers can add a teaspoon if desired. With or without it, the tangy apple flavor is sublime.
It’s a dish best served warm, and it’s even better reheated the next day.
Apple Cherry Bake
4 Ginger Gold or other New England apples, unpeeled, cored, thinly sliced
1 T butter
4 T honey
6-8 fresh cherries, pitted and sliced
8 eggs
1 t cinnamon
(optional) 1 t vanilla
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Lightly butter a three-quart baking dish.
In a large skillet on medium heat, melt butter, and cook apples with 1 T honey until apples are soft, stirring occasionally. Place in baking dish and top with cherries.
In a large bowl whisk together eggs, 3 T honey, cinnamon, and vanilla (optional).
Pour egg mixture over top.
Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes.
Let rest for about 15 minutes prior to serving to let eggs set.
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Jan Ruby-Crystal’s Sunday Morning Apple Omelet provides a third take on apples and eggs. Her omelet is made the traditional way, in a skillet on a stovetop.
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BROOKFIELD ORCHARDS, a fifth-generation orchard in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, celebrates its 100th anniversary this Saturday, August 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There will be two live bands, a giant raffle table, wagon rides, and kid-friendly activities throughout the day. A local brewery and kettle corn maker will be on hand to supplement the variety of baked goods and other foods made at the orchard.
Jersey Macs are ready!
Will Paula Reds be ready by the weekend?
