Apple Season

We paid a visit to the Petrofka Bridge Orchard, a short drive north of Saskatoon. The orchard store sells fresh-picked apples, dried apple rings, apple cidre vinegar and soft apple cidre.

 (directions to orchard)

And here's the apple tart I made with the apples from Petrofka Bridge Orchard. In France, it's famously known as Tarte Tatin because its creation is credited to a certain Madame Tatin. It's super easy and super wonderful with fresh tart apples.

Tarte Tatin

(Upside Down Apple Tart)

The number of apples needed for this tart will depend on their size and that of your baking pan.

3 tbsp water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp butter

6-8 apples

One square puff pastry

Heat water and brown sugar on medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. Boil, stirring until brown and syrupy. Stir in butter until melted. Pour into an 8 or 9 inch baking pan.          

Meanwhile peel, quarter and seed the apples. Arrange the quarters, core side up, nestled tightly in the syrup. Roll the puff pastry wider than the baking pan. Place over the apples, tucking in around the edges.

Bake 375F for 50 min. If the pastry becomes too brown, cover with tinfoil. Cool one hour, cover the baking pan with a plate and flip the tart onto the plate. Serve with ice cream or crème frâiche.



Birth of a Bottle

Hot off the press -- 3 Day Dog hard apple cidre, the newest offering from Living Sky Winery of Perdue, Saskatchewan. I had a chance to sample this lovely liquid apple at the exclusive Dine with the Stars dinner with Chef Moe Mathieu. (Read more about that elsewhere.)

Back to the hard apple cidre... The organic apples were sourced in BC  (the Saskatchewan apple business isn't quite ready for this volume or price-point). It was fermented and bottled locally. Proof? Watch this cool video on you-tube shot at Paddockwood Brewery in Saskatoon.

Wondering about that name? Read the explanation on the back of the bottle. Available at the Saturday Saskatoon Farmers' Market -- $4 per bottle.

An apple a day

So, you haven't canned, frozen or dried a bunch of Saskatchewan fruit for winter enjoyment?

Try this -- dried apples from Petrofka Bridge Orchard. $3 at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market.

Also available at Souleio and the Bulk Cheese Warehouse.

Apple Rosemary Jelly

I had time over the holidays to make a batch of apple rosemary jelly, which goes very well with pork chops, sausages and anything venison. I picked the apples from my neighbour's tree, which hangs abundantly over my back fence, and made the juice last summer. The rosemary isn't local -- my friend Colin brought it back from his property on Hornby Island. Oh well, it's hard to be pure Saskatchewan in the middle of winter...

To make Apple Rosemary Jelly, follow instructions for plain old apple jelly, adding a generous sprig of rosemary to the jelly as it's cooking in the pot. Remove the rosemary before pouring the hot jelly into jars. Before placing the lids, add a small flourish of fresh rosemary to each jar.

For a quicker method, buy a jar of apple jelly from the farmers' market. Melt the jelly in a saucepan, adding some fresh rosemary for flavour. Clean the jar and pour the jelly back into it to cool. Voila!

Crabapple Pie

My neighbours Andrea and Max have a big crabapple tree that hangs into my yard, which is pretty convenient for me since I love crabapples. As a kid on the farm, I used to pick an ice cream pail of crabapples and eat them while watching Saturday cartoons. I've always had a sour tooth...

Crabapples make a really good pie. Sure, it takes a little more time to peel and chop a bunch of smaller apples, but well worth the effort.

As a bonus, I made the pie crust with fresh-off-the-farm cultured butter, provided by a fan of this blog. I've read that a lot of top chefs prefer the flavour of cultured butter. And I think my pie crust never tasted better.