Following on from courgettes, another gift that can easily overwhelm the unwary is the Bramley apple.
In my experience, Bramley growers can be just as devious and deliberately thick-skinned as their courgettey friends, as they breeze into your home, carrying a knobbly, heavy-looking carrier bag, and declaring "Just a few apples from my tree!" before dashing off again at a smart pace, leaving you to wonder how "a few" came to mean a skip-load.
And to feel a slight twinge of alarm at the prospect of all that peeling, coring, slicing and using ahead.
I have several books of apple recipes at the ready, to cope with the seasonal generosity of friends, their mothers, uncles or fellow-allotmenteers.
This one, with recipes from readers (named! described! photographed! - oh, we were carefree about our privacy settings back in 1981!) of The Home & Freezer Digest, has been well used.
Some pages bear witness to the puppy who discovered that she could reach the shelf where the cookery books were kept. The remaining pages, liberally plastered with mummified splodges of ingredients, may well be a health hazard.
But the recipes have stood the test of time.
This one is amazingly easy. And uses a lot of apples.
Thanks, Rose.
A few apples, anyone?
That recipe sounds lovely. My sister is trying to give me Bramleys, also my sister-in-law! I do love a good pud though!
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends makes apple rings, but I can't think of anything else once you've done cakes/pies/puddings ..... and of course apple saice to go with roast pork. I'm going to have a go at mint jelly, after the success of my rosemary jelly. Hope your back has recovered!
ReplyDeleteThese kind of recipees (is that even correct?) I like! Simple, few ingredients and I can tell myself it's healthy. With all that fruit! Must be good for you ;-) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember having that book, I wonder what happened to it? The pudding sounds good think I'll give it a go. Hope your back is feeling better.
ReplyDeleteNo thanks. But I'll have a go at that recipe.
ReplyDeleteBramleys make lovely thick apple sauce , which is delicious when stirred though Greek yoghurt . And wasn't there an apple fritter recipe in your new cookbook ?
ReplyDeleteThere's no such thing as too much of a good thing !
Sonata
Bramley! Oh, I wish!
ReplyDeleteIn this apple-forsaken place guess what they think is a cooker? Granny Smith! Or Golden Delicious!
(I believe there are a few nurseries selling "heritage" trees, but aint no Bramley in the shops.)
Lovely post, Rachel.
My sister does this - arrives with two bags of apples but is never interested in what I might do with them!
ReplyDeleteRachel, this is exactly what I need this very minute.. some how a bag of apples were hidden away in a back corner of the fridge and they have to be made into something very soon.. Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteHere's Karen whining (whinging?) again. Why can't we have Bramley apples here in the States? How come you get all the good stuff?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to try the recipe. It sounds so good and will be great for cold winter evenings when one wants to just simply cozy up and snuggle and eat Rose's Apple pudding.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a bag of Bramleys and that pudding looks simply delicious.
ReplyDeleteShameful I know and I hardly dare admit it but when a recipe calls for apples! I open a tin...
ReplyDeleteIt looks wonderful and the book is obviously a treasure. It's a shame to look a gift horse in the mouth! I cooked Bramleys (well, just one, actually) with duck breasts last night - it tasted good, which is always a pleasant surprise when I'm the chef;-)
ReplyDeleteI spent hours on Monday, slaving over two bags of apples given by my kind neighbour. I know just how you felt. Gratitude tinged with a big sigh at the thought of all that peeling, coring, stewing, freezing.......
ReplyDeleteoooh yum .....
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