Fall for Apples

Shine Up a Cortland, Grab a Macoun…This Favorite Fruit 
Has a Lot to Offer 

Kiwi, guava, cactus pears, acai…the longsuffering apple can get lost in the cornucopia of today’s stylish fruit choices. It’s easy to pick up a bag during apple-picking season, cook up a crisp, and forget this favorite until next year. But the list of reasons to keep apples on your year-round list is long. The apple has a reputation for warding off the doctor for a reason. Besides being universally liked, it is easy to eat and transport, it is readily available, and its nutritional benefit is rock solid.

Mom’s the Word

The apple’s iconic history is unparalleled in our culture, with its penchant for pie, and its ability to conjure wholesome visions of an apron-clad Mom. It’s nutritional history is similarly deep: famed SuperfoodRx author Dr. Steven Pratt, who helped bring the advantages of antioxidant-rich wild blueberries to the public, also gave the superfood nod to apples for their disease-preventing, anti-aging nutrients. They can’t be ignored for those interested in fighting cancer, heart disease, and Type II diabetes.

So, is the everyday apple prescription tired advice? Not a chance. Here’s why:

  • They have fiber.
  • They are rich in Vitamin C.
  • They have excellent antioxidant properties.
  • They contain a powerful dose of polyphenols.
  • They are rich in potassium.
  • They are satisfyingly high in fiber (whenever possible, eat the skin).
  • They are fat free, sodium free & cholesterol free.

Tastes Worth Telling, William

Red Delicious, Northern Spy…the variety of apples adds to the fruit’s allure. Whether you cherish sweetness or crispness, you’ve probably got your favorite. There are hundreds of apple varieties, and Maine provides an excellent region for sampling many of them. Visit a local orchard and start grazing to identify your favorite. The Maine Pomological Society (that’s right – pomology is the study of pome fruit, and apples are the most commonly known pome)  provides a run-down of local varieties you’re likely to encounter.

The time is now for enjoying the essence of apples, and if you live here in Maine, it’s practically an apple fair a day. Check the Portland Press Herald for a listing of apple festivals galore, including this weekend’s Apple Pumpkin Festival in Livermore Falls, and Downeast Heirloom Apple Week at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor taking place in October.

Cider: Apples to Apples 

It’s truly the essence of the apple. The enthusiasm for the array of apple cider blends for its connoisseurs is no less than that of oenophiles for their wine. Cider, the naturally sweet juice from apples, is particularly beloved in the Northeast. It serves as the impetus for many fairs, festivals and gatherings that focus on this drinkable treat. Cider is a unique seasonal pleasure that differs from apple juice because of its raw, unfiltered nature. (In cider, the pulp and sediment that is otherwise taken away in regular apple juice is preserved.) It may come as no surprise that cider contains all the health benefits of apples. For those who pasteurize, the process does little to affect its high nutrition.

Can you make your own? You bet. Pickyourown.com tempts those who want to try their hand at their own personal blend. The required equipment can be purchased without too much expenditure, and the result can be enjoyed, or canned for future use.

Slim Pickings

Take full advantage this fall when local apples are abundant in the Northeast – and keep them on your radar throughout the year for nutritional benefit in a figure-saving package. If you are looking for ways to bite the big apple, go au naturel for unadulterated advantage, or take your pick from these apple ideas when your diet allows for indulgence.

Top Montreal Chef Makes a French Connection with a Wild Ingredient

Chef Jérôme Ferrer is a Montreal chef with a flair for creative, delicious food and a talent for distinctive use of market fresh produce. As Grand Chef at the celebrated Restaurant Europea, a true hot spot of creative, modern cuisine located in a luxurious Victoria Mansion in the heart of the city, Ferrer and his staff of 22 chefs can be found fixing up dishes on the famed menu that provide some of the best edible evidence that food can be turned into art.

The Wild Blueberry Association was fortunate enough to procure Chef Ferrer for some exclusive creations using the beloved wild blueberry as his primary ingredient. The results speak for themselves – they are part of a winning selection of brand new recipes on www.wildblueberries.com.

Want a taste? Chef Ferrer’s distinctive Foie Gras Cutlets with Wild Blueberry Sauce features a generous helping of wild blueberries, along with puréed parsnips and seared foie gras cutlets. His inspired Lamb Bites with Celeriac Bulb & Wild Blueberry Sauce uses the unique flavor of celery root (he transforms it into “fries”, sautés and seasons it) along with the perfect accompaniment: he reduces wild blueberries with lamb stock and wine to create the sauce. Fantastique!

What’s this French chef’s wild blueberry connection? It’s based in part on wild blueberries being a popular indigenous Canadian crop. Lowbush blueberries are harvested only in Maine and Eastern Canada, meaning the versatile ingredient is right at home in Montreal. It’s also a match made in heaven for a chef who specializes in haute French cuisine. French cooking is known for its sweet indulgences – think crème brûlée, parfaits, sorbets, petit fours and marcarons – and the sweet, complex flavor of wild blueberries fits the bill. Ferrer is an expert on the subject – he is the author of Les Secret des Desserts, which reveals his insider info on creating delectable French-themed desserts. One of those strictly-on-the-QT tips? Create your confection using fresh produce and the best local products.

The creative use of wild blueberries is a particularly perfect fit for the Wild Blueberry kitchen due to Chef Ferrer’s dedication to a “from the market” menu at Europea. His efforts to serve food retrieved daily from fresh local providers is clear from his menu. He provides his signature je ne sais quoi to Quebec-raised veal, Appalachian Coast venison, and dishes such as Lobster Cappuccino Truffles, and North Coast Scallop Crèpes.

The Wild Blueberry Association consistently works with renowned chefs in order to develop original recipes that combine the creative ideas with the unparalleled taste and nutrition of wild blueberries. You can enjoy more of the European influence in Wild Blueberries à la Crème Brûlée, a blue take on a traditional French classic, and in Warm Wild Blueberry Petit Fours, a breakfast-inspired interpretation of a fave French treat from the Executive Chef of Kennebunkport’s White Barn Inn, Jonathan Cartwright. In light of all the palate-delighting options, only two words come to mind: Bon appétit! 

Discover more new additions to our recipe section! Explore delicious, antioxidant-rich entrée, dessert, snack, and drink options such as Duck, Spinach & Goat Cheese Salad with Savory Wild Blueberry Sauce, Wild Blueberry Clafoutis and Rabbit Stew.

Sell Your Superfoods! Think Like an Ad Man (or Woman) in Your Kitchen

This post from Summer Tomato, “Sell Your Family On Healthy Eating Using Descriptive Copy”, poses a perfectly fun idea for motivating yourself and your family to eat well, inspired by a study concerning the psychology of eating that we discussed here a few weeks ago.  It seems putting a little Madison Avenue in our kitchen creations means taking a page from Restaurant Row. Consider the wait staff at your favorite restaurant describing their specials. Do the terms sautéed, drizzled or chilled sound familiar? Colorful descriptions and mouth-watering modifiers can accomplish the chef’s goal of tapping into our visceral love of food even before we order.

Their efforts to sell the sizzle and not (necessarily) the steak really can help our healthy eating habits, suggests Summer Tomato. The idea is to start evoking ingredients’ attributes and seasonal freshness: instead of trying to push “salad” for dinner,  start plugging “ginger scented little gem lettuces with grapefruit, hazelnuts and goat cheese.”  Now that sounds delicious! Then,  sneak in some adjectives as well: kale becomes Tuscan kale, carrots become sweet, and tomatoes become heirloom in an instant.

We also suggest taking this new Madison Avenue flair for food a step further. Got an idea for dinner in the AM before taking off to work? Use your copywriting skills to announce it on a decorative kitchen whiteboard or chalk/slate board. Not only can you get yourself and your family members excited about the Specialty du Jour, but you can stick to your plan of eating healthy – no stopping for take-out when the menu is there in black and white. And, studies indicate that if our expectations are that something will taste good, it will.

You can even use pictures to evoke a thousand words. If you found a recipe online or in a magazine, post the photo on your “menu” board (provided your version won’t pale in comparison). Let’s face it, Denny’s knows what they’re doing with their colorful photos of melting pads of butter sliding off stacks of pancakes. Hey, we can play that game, too. Move over, Moon Over My Hammy – say hello to Farm-fresh Sweet Corn and Slow-Roasted Organic Chipotle Chicken courtesy of Chez You!

Wax Poetic with Quinoa Salad

This Quinoa Salad with Wild Blueberries recipe from www.wildblueberries.com will help get you started dusting off those descriptors. Who can resist “creamy Havarti gently tossed with fresh garden zucchini”?

(Sold on the added adjective of “wild” when talking about blueberries? The moniker isn’t just sizzle: wild differentiates lowbush wild blueberries from their highbush cultivated counterparts. Wilds are smaller, have more of the powerful antioxidant anthocyanin, and demonstrate greater antioxidant capacity per serving than cultivated blueberries. They are also have a more intense, tangy-sweet flavor which makes them a excellent recipe ingredient.)