The Optimism of Apple-Eating

Fruit for Today and Tomorrow

Thank you for subscribing to Dishtillery! This is our free end-of-the-month newsletter, focused on seasonal foods. Our issues for paid subscribers, “TILL We Meet Again,” “Tidbit,” and “The Maker’s Mark,” will be going out the first, second, and third Friday, respectively, in November. Thanks again for your support. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to bring you recipes and recommendations from restaurateurs, chefs, artisans, winemakers, mixologists, and, of course, us! Please consider sharing with a friend who also likes food, drink, gardens, and goodness. And if you don’t already, please do follow us on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook.

DISH: Orchards Grow from the Heart

Poets, priests, politicians, and cooks all love apples. The first three for the symbolism, and the fourth for the versatility. We stand, of course, at positions one and four. Apples to us mean autumn in New Jersey and all that it entailed: Annual Macintosh apple-picking with hayrides. Subsequent marathon apple-peeling sessions for applesauce, cakes, and pies. And most memorably, visits to the local cider mill, Nettie Ochs, the orchards and shop of which have long since been swallowed up by the neighboring hospital St. Barnabas and nearby housing developments. Nettie Ochs opened in 1897 and lasted, almost miraculously given how valuable its land must have been, until 2005. Just writing this little bit of local lore is evocative – I can smell the mustiness of natural yeasts that lingered in the store and taste the rich, opaque amber liquid. Clearly, apple cider was on Betsy’s mind, too, given the recipe she developed (see below).

I can get apple cider in Miami, just like you can find almost anything anywhere these days, but it’s not fresh Nettie Ochs cider. And it’s even more difficult to get good apples, the ones with that orchard-fresh crunch. Any Macintosh that makes it down here has a distinctly unpleasant mushiness.

When we did get the rare soft apples in New Jersey, or we had a surplus from picking, our mom often made apple cake, which I used to scarf down after soccer practice whenever it was in the house. This cake has an amazing crumb, delicate and velvety at the same time, and stays rich for days thanks to the great quantities of apples that it uses. I was surprised when, grown up and looking to convert the recipe to a mango cake, she told me that it was actually her friend Suzanne’s recipe. I was even more shocked (okay, not really, we all know that I’m a hoarder) to unpack the recipe that she must have snail-mailed me at some point. (Note the apple graphic on top – that’s peak Mom!)

This piece of paper has survived moving house from South Beach to Miami Shores to El Portal for good reason, though – it really is a terrific cake. I transposed the recipe for you below. It doesn’t need topping, but if you enjoy making crumbs, that’s a delicious addition, and a little vanilla ice cream or dulce de leche doesn’t hurt, either.

I’m probably being a little hard on those poor traveling apples. The truth is, like many people, especially now, I’ll make do with whatever I can find (although I’m extra happy when I come across the more tart varieties). After all, one of the reasons they’re such a popular fruit – all 7,500 varieties in the world, although we only grow about 100 nationally – is because they do store and ship so well. What’s picked in the fall lasts all winter. This might account for why colonial Americans called them “winter bananas.”

In fact, there’s so much apple trivia that Jeopardy! writers could make several categories with the information, starting with: The Lebanese poet who says that when you “crush an apple with your teeth,” you should say this to it…

“Your seeds shall live in my body,
And the buds of your tomorrow shall blossom in my heart.”

(Answer: Who is Khalil Gibran?)
JK

DISH: Recipes

Date Night with Les Pommes

With young adult children living at home, couples time has been a little more elusive during the pandemic – to say the least. But every once in a while, we do manage to have dinner alone. This seasonally inspired chicken works well à deux, but can be exponentially expanded for leftovers, company, or the family. Ditto for the apple condiment. I use boneless thighs. If you’re thinking skin-on, bone-in, consider browning first and then throwing into a 375-degree oven to finish the cooking. Keep in mind that the cook time will be longer.

Rosemary-Cider Chicken with Sautéed Apples and Shallots

Rosemary-Cider Chicken

1 package skinless chicken thighs, about 1¼ pounds
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary removed from the stem, loosely chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 good pinches kosher salt
Enough ground pepper to see it
2 bay leaves

In a bowl, mix all ingredients except chicken and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Immerse the chicken and marinate chicken at least 1 hour or up to 12 in the refrigerator.

To cook:

Bring the chicken to room temperature. In a skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Lay down the smooth side of chicken for about 3 minutes until browned. Flip and cook 3 more minutes. Lower heat to medium/medium-low, then cover and cook about 15 minutes. Watch to make sure there’s some liquid on the bottom to prevent garlic from burning. Cooked thighs should read 165 on the thermometer.

Note: I did not dry the chicken since that would’ve removed all the garlic rosemary goodness. But it wasn’t all that damp after letting it come to room temperature. The boneless thighs browned pretty easily.

Sautéed Apples and Shallots

2 apples that are laying around the fridge (or your fave, not red delicious), skinned, quartered, and sliced
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons red wine (I used leftover Cabernet Franc)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt

In a skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the shallot with a healthy pinch of salt and cook until softened about 5 minutes, lowering heat if it starts to brown.

Add the apples and cook without stirring for about 3 minutes. Flip the apples and cook about 2 more minutes.

Add wine and cinnamon. Stir and cover until apples are soft but holding their shape, no more than 5 minutes.

Serve while hot or store in the refrigerator to reheat.
BK

Our Mom’s Friend Suzanne’s Apple Coffee Cake

Filling:

5 large apples, peeled and cubed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar

In a bowl, mix the apples with the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

Cake:

3 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup oil
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ cup orange juice
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans (optional)

Preheat the one to 350 degrees.

Grease a tube, bundt, or large rectangular pan well. (Note: Large rectangular pan takes less time to bake.)

In a mixer, food processor, or bowl, blend all the ingredients except for the nuts. Fold in the nuts if desired. Note that the batter will be thick and may need to be spread with a spatula.

Pour half of the batter into the pan.

Arrange half of the apples on top of the batter. Cover with the remaining batter. Arrange the rest of the apples on top.

Bake for 1½ hours. Use a toothpick to test. It’s ready when it comes out clean.
JK

TILL: The Sohm of Somms

There is something you should know about sommelier Aldo Sohm. He really does not care how much you spend on wine. It is surprising, to me anyway, that he will taste just about anything, reserving judgment for glassware and not for the price of what’s in it (more on that later).

With many “best” sommelier titles on his resume, including “Best Sommelier in America 2007,” Sohm has been guiding the wine choices for customers since 2007 at New York’s Le Bernardin, one of the world’s preeminent restaurants. (Le Bernadin is now open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday from 5:30-9:00 pm and will be increasing dinner service Monday-Saturday starting November 2, with limited capacity.) It is easy to assume he might judge some choices the rest of us drinkers make.

But Sohm picks his own wine depending on circumstance: “I am not a moody person, I am a moody drinker. Is it 90 or 20 [degrees]? Summer or winter? Do I want to celebrate? What do I want to eat, oysters or steak?”

Speaking with him in the heat of early fall, he endorsed his wife’s preferred rose. In context, he says, “It’s delicious”. That said, I know from many interviews with him when I worked on the radio and visited his wine bar across from Le Bernadin that he does favor certain grapes, including the largely Austrian Grüner Veltliner. For lovers of crisp, dry whites (me and Jen), this is a great choice. Sohm, being a fan and an Austrian, has gone the extra mile to co-produce his own.

I found myself at Aldo Sohm wine bar just after it reopened with a courtyard café a few weeks ago. After my husband and I sat, a feeling of normalcy hit, although it lasted for only a moment. As we sipped a Sohm signature wine, those working around us remained masked. Dining out, like mask-wearing, comes fraught with political considerations and health concerns. Does my glass of wine imperil the event manager who is kindly giving me his card? Should take-out food remain the norm until the pandemic recedes? What about the tens of thousands of unemployed restaurant workers?

Both the act of dining out and publicly asking these questions opens the door to personal criticism. It’s something I did not intend to write about but constantly ponder, as I know my sister, a dining critic since 1992, also thinks about endlessly. These are trying and scary times for restaurants and bars, their employees, and the customers who want them to survive. And for my sister and myself, are we right to visit them and write about them, even when we stay outside. Do our actions endorse a sort of risk-taking behavior? Honestly, we just don’t know.

With all of those unanswered questions, Sohm remains optimistic. He believes in the “good.” He also believes in sharing the passion he found at age 19, working in restaurants and answering questions from food lovers and wine drinkers. He wrote Wine Simple to help the rest of us understand what to buy and how to drink wine.

He offers a few simple tips that can help anyone get started or improve their own personal wine journey. First, find stores that match your sensibility. Yes, it’s about wine, but also connections to the people who can help you. Then, use your phone. Make two files, suggests Sohm. Take pictures of everything you drink and put faves into a keep file. Save the others, too, to avoid purchasing something you don’t love again. For deals on big, bold reds? Think outside the California Cabernet bottle – that’s not where to find a great deal.

Speaking of money, how do we avoid that intimidating moment when a sommelier asks if we need help? Use your fingers, says Sohm, and point – not at the wine, but the price. Pick where you are comfortable and they can then find something in that range. As the pandemic continues to restrict where and how we eat and drink and what we’ll be able to afford, now and in the future, that awkwardness is surely bound to increase.

For now, with so many drinking at home, take Sohm’s most important piece of advice. Upgrade your glassware. Why drink good wine from terrible glasses? “It’s like great music from old, not-good speakers.” Even so-so beverages will feel festive in better stemware. Ever the salesman, Sohm volunteers his own gorgeous glassware with Zalto as a choice. I’ll admit, as I finish my (second!) Grüner, I definitely feel like shopping.

Visit: https://www.aldosohm.com
BK

DISH: Poetry

This poem uses “found” material from a vintage cookbook called Food and Finesse, the Bride’s Bible. While the intent – advising a new bride on how to shop for the household – has certainly gone out of style, some of the advice here is still pretty sound.

Advice for a Lady with a Market Basket

Open and taste. There is no other way.
Look for meat of a delicate pinkness.
A good apple’s stem is soft and sappy.
Brilliant skins are indications of ripeness.

Look for meat of a delicate pinkness.
The crack in the bean should be invisible.
Brilliant skins are indications of ripeness.
Test for fragrance by scratching with a fingernail.

The crack in the bean should be invisible.
Leaves should be brittle and appear varnished.
Test for fragrance by scratching with a fingernail.
If it is dark, the mushroom is spoiled.

Leaves should be brittle and appear varnished.
Asparagus stems should be smooth near the cut.
If it is dark, the mushroom is spoiled.
Pork should be white, with plenty of fat.

Asparagus stems should be smooth near the cut.
Avoid string beans of anemic pallor.
Pork should be white, with plenty of fat.
Poor-quality lamb is red of color.

Avoid string beans of anemic pallor.
Fresh chestnuts for cooking should wear tight skins.
Poor-quality lamb is red of color.
Rap clams together; they should sound like stones.

Fresh chestnuts for cooking should wear tight skins.
Fish eyes should be brilliant and tongue moist.
Rap clams together; they should sound like stones.
A young chicken is soft at the breast.

Fish eyes should be brilliant and tongue moist.
A good apple’s stem is soft and sappy.
A young chicken is soft at the breast.
Open and taste. There is no other way.

You can find this and other food poems in Brie Season (Kelsay Books, 2014).
JK