Get creative with apples this fall

Autumn is apple-picking season, and many farmers’ markets, grocery stores and even roadside apple stands are chock-full of delicious apples this time of year. That makes fall the perfect time to whip up some apple-inspired foods. This recipe for stewed apples from Laurey Masterton’s “The Fresh Honey Cookbook” (Storey) requires a tad more effort than traditional applesauce recipes, but the extra work is well worth it in the end. When picking your own or shopping for apples in advance of preparing this recipe, avoid apples that have a mealy texture as well as those that are very sweet.

Elsie’s stewed apples
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 pounds apples, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices
• 1/2 cup honey, preferably sage honey
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Fresh sage sprigs for garnish

Directions:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples, turn the heat to high and sauté until they begin to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes. If some are getting too well done, remove them and place on a plate while the rest continue to cook, then return them to the skillet when all are done.
• Reduce the heat to low and add the honey, wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1⁄2 cup water. Cover and allow to cook until the apples are tender but still firm; you don’t want them to turn into applesauce.
• Serve this in a bowl, tuck in a couple of sprigs of fresh sage from your garden, and tell your guests all about sage honey.