An apple a day: Recipes for the season ~ New news

The area’s apple season is expected to be rather robust this year and CBS Boston is reporting a “3.5 million 42-pound” box estimate from area orchardists, according to the New England Apple Association. To prepare for this year’s crop, here’s a roundup of some of our favorite apple recipes. Submit your own through the Recipe Box Project.

Patricia Harris for The Boston Globe

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Recipe: Apple-blackberry cobbler

Make this old-fashioned fruit cobbler in a skillet with an ovenproof handle and serve it in the same dish, with its rustic, sweet-biscuit crust.

Sally Pasley Vargas for The Boston Globe

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Recipe: Pork chops with roasted apples and squash

Pair pork chops with roasted apples and caramelized squash, along with herbs and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Serve with egg noodles or red potatoes.

Bill Greene/Globe Staff

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Recipe: Roast chicken with apples

Apples lend a hint of sweetness to a traditional roast chicken and paired with rosemary and thyme, the fruit becomes savory.

food styling/sheryl julian; Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff

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Recipe: Old-fashioned apple cake

There’s not a lot of cake and not a lot of butter, but there’s a whole lot of apples. It is quick to make and comforting to eat warm with afternoon tea or after school on a blustery day. Or entice the troops out of bed in the morning with the aromas of cinnamon and apple baking.

Sally Pasley Vargas for The Boston Globe

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Recipe: Apple streusel cake

This beautiful cake comes from the late Richard Sax, a celebrated baker and author of “Classic Home Desserts.’’ He got the recipe from Margaret Stieber of Sheboygan, Wisc.

Sheryl Julian/Globe staff

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Recipe: Turkey tenderloins on potatoes and apples

Roast boned turkey breastn a bed of potatoes, onions, and apples. The dish is a little like turkey with stuffing—only quicker.

Sheryl Julian

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Recipe: Apple-pear cornmeal crisp

Crisps, along with cobblers, grunts, slumps, and pandowdies, are pleasing, old-fashioned fruit desserts. Here, a small amount of cornmeal replaces some of the flour in the butter topping to add extra crunch.

Karoline Boehm Goodnick

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Recipe: Easy cranberry and apple cake

Ina Garten’s fall cake, baked in a pie pan, will stand in for a real pie for people who are afraid to make crust.

Ben Fink

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Recipe: Honey-caramel apple dip

You may have noticed individual packs of caramel sauce lining produce shelves for dipping apples but it’s easy enough to make your own. For added fun, set up a dipping bar with chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and red hot cinnamon candies. Skip the stick.

Karoline Boehm-Goodnick for The Boston Globe

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Recipe: Pan-roasted pork chops with butternut squash, onions, and apples

Was it changing the clocks or the early darkness combined with dampness that makes us long for some comfort? Pork chops can do just that, particularly when paired with butternut squash, local apples, and onions. Prepare a simple brine and let the meat absorb the salty-sweet flavors while you cut up vegetables. This simple step guarantees flavorful, juicy meat. Add fresh sage and a touch of nutmeg to the sweet and savory garnish.

Catherine Smart for The Boston Globe

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Recipe: Torta di mele (Apple cake)

It isn’t difficult to become enamored of torta di mele. Happily, it’s also quick to prepare. In the time it takes to heat the oven, you can have the batter mixed and the three apples sliced. It takes just over half an hour to bake and it’s delicious warm or at room temperature.

(food styling/lisa falso; BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF)

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Recipe: Apple turkey burgers with curried mayo

On a nice night, you can grill these turkey burgers, which are laced with diced apple, scallions, hot sauce, sweet chili sauce, and cilantro. Or broil them close to the element. Set them in a roll, add lettuce, tomato, and onion, if you like, and top with curried mayo.

Catherine Smart

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Recipe: Whole-wheat pancakes with apple compote

Whole-wheat pancakes, made with beaten egg whites, are hearty and nutty, a good match for an apple compote with walnuts, raisins, maple syrup, and warm spices. Double the compote recipe to keep on hand for other breakfasts or to set beside pork chops at supper.

Karoline Boehm-Goodnick for The Boston Globe

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Recipe: Spiced apple cake with cream cheese frosting

With its spiced, apple-rich batter and cinnamon-scented frosting, this cake shows off the apples to their best advantage. Oil keeps the baked texture of the batter fairly firm, with moist, rich results, and extends the keeping time of the cake.

Sheryl Julian

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Recipe: Apple-jicama-carrot slaw

Honey and Dijon mustard meld with anise-flavored tarragon to make crisp apples and root vegetables pop in this simple slaw.

Karoline Boehm Goodnick

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Recipe: Hard-cider braised chicken

To guarantee the most flavor, begin with whole chicken legs (the drumsticks are attached to the thighs). Brown them in butter and bacon fat and then cook them in the oven with hard cider, fresh herbs, and winter vegetables. When the meat is plump, falling off the bone, and rich with its own broth, it’s done. One pot plus one hour equals dinner for everybody.

Jon Levitt

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Recipe: Apple clafoutis

Traditionally made in the Limousin region of France with sour cherries, this rustic dessert offers a platform to showcase seasonal fruit. The mixture is similar to a crepe or pancake batter. Let it rest and it will develop flavor. Saute apples in butter and sugar, then combine the fruit and batter in a baking dish. As it cooks, it turns into a souffle with a golden crust, which falls as it cools (it’s supposed to) and tastes almost creamy.

Karoline Boehm-Goodnick

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Recipe: Baked apples

A quick dessert that pleases everyone in the family. If you’re feeding kids, use all cider instead of the brandy; for others, bourbon, Calvados, even rum will work well. Whisking creme fraiche into the baking juices gives the sauce body, tang, and a slight hint of richness. You can also pour in heavy cream at the end.

Karoline Boehm Goodnick

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Recipe: Farmhouse apple cream pie

We were intrigued by this tart sent in by Melinda Kessler Spratlan of Amherst. We tried the pie with chunks, and then with thin slices arranged in concentric circles, and far preferred the homier, chunkier look.

Globe Staff Photo/Wendy Maeda; StylistS: Sheryl Julian and Janine Sciarappa

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Recipe: Baked French toast with apple compote

Instead of apples, you can also make this with Bartlett or Anjou pears. Peel and halve them, cut out the cores, and chop them coarsely.

Wendy Maeda/Boston Globe

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Recipe: Grilled brie and pecorino sandwiches with apples and apricot jam

The tart and sweet flavors of green apple and apricot jam are nice compliments to salty pecorino and creamy brie, with added crunch from a dense, seeded bread.

Molly Siciliano

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Recipe: 1-2-3 apple pie

Toss apples with sugar and cinnamon, heap them in a pie pan, and top with buttered phyllo dough. You will not find an easier apple pie, complete with crisp top crust.

(Karoline Boehm Goodnick for The Boston Globe)

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Recipe: Julie’s mother’s apple cake

What is special about this cake is its remarkably moist texture, from oil and orange juice. When you layer the batter with four apples, you wonder if there’s enough batter to hold the apples together. But there is. The cake tastes delicious, it’s easy to put together, it keeps well, and it’s high in the pan. Head to the kitchen.

Sheryl Julian

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Recipe: Sausage, apple, and cheddar souffle

Every community has recipes for a dish of layered bread, eggs, and milk, which sits in the fridge overnight and puffs in the oven—a little like a souffle. This one is made with sausage, apples, onions, and cheddar. When you have guests, make it a day or two in advance and pull it from the refrigerator in the morning. You’ll look brilliant.

(Food Styling By Lisa Falso; John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

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Recipe: Braised pork shoulder with apple-fig sauce

Pork shoulder, also called Boston butt, is a large, tough cut that turns fall-apart tender after long, slow cooking. Here, the meat is accented with fresh ginger and served with apples and dried figs.

Food Styling/Lisa Falso; Gretchen Ertl for The Boston Globe

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Recipe for upside-down gingerbread with apples

Recipe: Upside-down gingerbread with apples

Old-fashioned gingerbread is a warming dessert, especially topped with apples. The apples go into the pan first and the upside-down part is easier than you might think.

Sally Pasley Vargas

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Recipe: Stuffed acorn squash with chestnuts and apples

Apples, chestnuts, sage, and thyme make this a festive side dish that can also double as a substantial option for the vegetarian main.

Sally Pasley Vargas

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Recipe for pork loin on a bed of apples, potatoes, and onions

Recipe: Pork loin on a bed of apples, potatoes, and onions

Here, a bed of golden potatoes and sweet onion roast until they’re almost tender, then a boneless pork loin and apple wedges go into the pan and everything finishes roasting together.

Sheryl Julian/Globe staff

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Recipe for bratwurst braised in beer with red cabbage and apples

Recipe: Bratwurst braised in beer with red cabbage and apples

The universally popular German pub dish, served on a roll with brown mustard and pickles, is revamped here with slightly sweet-and-sour red cabbage.

Sally Pasley Vargas for The Boston Globe

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Recipe: Apple cream-cheese tart

Something like a cheesecake, this apple tart features sauteed slices of fruit topped with a layer of vanilla cheesecake.

Karoline Boehm Goodnick

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Recipe: Apple streusel cake

This beautiful cake comes from the late Richard Sax, a celebrated baker and author of “Classic Home Desserts.’’ He got the recipe from Margaret Stieber of Sheboygan, Wisc.

Sheryl Julian/Globe Staff

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Lisa Yockelson's recipe for spiced apple scones

Recipe: Spiced apple scones

Buttery and laced with shredded apples, these scones are scented with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Karoline Boehm Goodnick

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Recipe: Open-faced apple-streusel tart

Most home bakers are intimidated by the idea of making flaky, tender pie crust. This recipe eliminates most of the stress but you get an elegant result worthy of a French patisserie.

Karoline Boehm Goodnick

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