Apples — cooking stuff you can do with them

In Season — Apples

What's growing in your garden or flooding the markets? In Season follows Witt chef Robyn Trowern and journalist Virginia Winder in their quest to source the freshest fruit and vegetables and serve them up with simple sense and inspiration.

By VIRGINIA WINDER - Taranaki Daily News | Tuesday, 05 May 2009

RARE TREAT: Robyn Trowern uses sirloin beef for this long-named salad. — CAMERON BURNELL/Taranaki Daily News.

Roasting fruit and vegetables to heighten flavours is one of Robyn Trowern's favourite tricks. This week, the Witt chef puts the heat on apples for a couple of dishes with a layered look and also uses an old classic to make a moist cake with a cinnamon twist.

With relish, Robyn whips off the cloths covering the apple dishes and there sit three edible masterpieces. Stomachs rumble.

"I made this here, for the guys, and they all like it," she says, hovering over a plate piled high with a tumble of red cabbage, roasted apple, crumbed golden fish and half a lime. The Granny Smith apple, however, isn't cooked until it's gone all soft. It's still firm, but just past the crunch stage, so it goes well with the soft fish and zesty red cabbage.

"This has ginger through it, so it has an Asian flavour," she says.

While the recipe calls for snapper, Robyn says gurnard or tarakihi would also be fine and make the meal a little cheaper. But the fish definitely needs to be crumbed.

She has a little trick to share when finishing off fish: when it's still in the pan, but just cooked, she squeezes a bit of lemon or lime over the fillets, throws in a knob of butter, puts the lid on the pan and leaves it for about 30 seconds and then dishes up.

The beef dish with a long title is also served up with lots of meaty advice.

"If someone has roast beef for tea, the sliced beef could be used for this salad the next day," Robyn says.

She has used sirloin because she finds it less sinewy than other cuts. Whatever people choose, she advises sealing the meat in a hot pan before roasting.

"By sealing it, you are keeping all the juice inside and preventing the outside becoming overcooked."

To seal, heat up a pan on a high heat, add a little oil and place the meat in, presentation side down. Salt and pepper the side facing you and then, after a couple of minutes, turn over and salt and pepper the freshly seared side.

"This takes five minutes at the most," she says of the entire sealing process.

Another big tip is not to slice the meat right away.

"Make sure you let it rest before you carve it. Most people grab it out of the oven and started slicing it immediately. But if you let it sit and then carve it, the tissues will relax and you will not lose as much juice."

Robyn is also an advocate of watercress, which she buys at The Kiwi Butcher Shop.

"It's high in iron," she says of the aquatic member of the brassica family. Along with iron, watercress also has significant amounts of calcium, folic acid and vitamins A and C. Add the beef into the picture and this dish is a big iron booster.

We finish with the cake, which is best made with good old Granny Smiths.

The green fruit originated in Australia. It was a chance seedling propagated by Maria Ann Smith back in 1868. More than 140 years later, the apple is still held in high esteem.

"The Granny Smiths are absolutely beautiful at the moment," Robyn says.

And remember, fresh is better. For all these dishes, canned fruit just doesn't cut it.

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APPLE, ROAST BEEF & WATERCRESS SALAD with CREAMY HORSERADISH DRESSING

Ingredients:

2 Braeburn apples, cored, sliced and roasted
500g of Desiree potatoes, boiled until cooked and diced
1 bunch watercress
450g sliced cooked roast beef
Chives, finely chopped for garnish
Dressing
½ cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1 tsp lemon juice
⅛ tsp freshly ground pepper

Method:

In a bowl, combine all dressing ingredients.
Add roasted apples (see fish dish for details) and potatoes. Toss gently.
Chop off tough stems of watercress and discard. Divide the leafy vegetable between four plates.
Spoon apple and potato mixture on watercress and add folded slices of beef.
Garnish with chives and dish up for lunch with crusty bread.

Serves four.

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FRESH APPLE CAKE

OLD-FASHIONED TAKE: Granny Smiths are the best apple for this
cinnamon-infused cake. — CAMERON BURNELL/Taranaki Daily News.

Ingredients:

100g butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2½ cups flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup Greek-style yoghurt
2 large Granny Smith apples

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Line a 23cm cake pan with baking paper or grease a false-bottomed spring tin.
Peel the apples and cut them into smallish chunks.
Using an electric beater, cream the butter and sugars together.
Add the eggs, vanilla and yoghurt.
Next, mix in the baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon, then add the flour.
Fold in the apples using a wooden spoon.
Pour into the cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the centre.
Dust with icing sugar.

This can be served warm or cold, with cream or Greek-style yoghurt on the side.

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SNAPPER with APPLE & CABBAGE

COLOURFUL COOKING: Golden crumbed fish lies on a bed of red
cabbage, ginger and a green apple, all topped off with a lime.
— CAMERON BURNELL/Taranaki Daily News.

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
4 cups packed with thinly sliced red cabbage
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 Granny Smith apple, cored, sliced and roasted
½ tsp caster sugar
4 snapper fillets
1 cup milk
1 cup finely ground fresh bread crumbs
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp butter

Method:

In a large, non-stick pan, heat oil over medium heat and add ginger and saute for two minutes.
Add cabbage and ¼ teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Stir in vinegar and sugar and transfer to a bowl to cool.
Meanwhile, core and slice apple. Place in roasting dish and toss with a little vegetable oil and half a teaspoon of caster sugar. Put in medium oven for five minutes. Take out and set aside.
Cut each fish fillet crosswise diagonally into three strips and soak in milk.
In shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, parsley, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
Heat butter in pan over medium- low heat.
Dip fish strips in bread crumb mixture to coat. Place in pan and saute 6-8 minutes, turning the fillets so they brown evenly and are cooked through.

To serve: