Sat, Jan 06, 2018 page13

• Ian’s Table: An apple a day?

  No need to restrict yourself to just one; apples can play a big part in all kinds of sweet and savory dishes

  • By Ian Bartholomew / Contributing reporter
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  The apple is one of the best known fruits, eaten around the world. Its most famous varieties hail from western Europe and North America, but apples are grown in all sorts of unlikely places as well. Taiwan also has small scale apple cultivation at orchards along the uplands of the Central Mountain Range, most famously from Lishan (梨山), but these are harder to acquire than imported varieties that are available at every supermarket.

  According to Alan Davidson in the Oxford Companion to Food, there are between 7,000 and 8,000 named varieties of apple, although only a very small number are cultivated on a commercial basis. Each country has it own preferred varieties, and in Taiwan the Japanese varieties such as Fuji and Mutsu hold reign, along with the American variety Delicious. The last is one of the most commonly available supermarket varieties, but its name is rather inappropriate as this apple tends to be a little insipid, lacking either tartness or sweetness in sufficient quantities to produce a notable eating experience.

  Taiwan also has its own varieties, often referred to as “honey apples” (蜜蘋果). These are very small in size, often no larger than an apricot. They make good eating apples, particularly since they are unwaxed, and although their skin is often an unattractive mottling of red, yellow and green, their flavor is really quite good. They are suitable both for eating and cooking.

  

  Hot apple crumble is perfect with ice cream.

  Photo: Ian Bartholomew

  Apples are not new to Chinese gastronomy, and Davidson suggests that apples were grown in China as far back as 1,000 years ago, possibly introduced from Central Asia. Despite its long presence on the Chinese scene, apples have never managed to rival the status of the pear, which has a much more established place in Chinese culture and commands considerably higher prices.

  The apples from Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range seem to be made up of a variety of types that are not always clearly differentiated. The famous “honey apple” has an intense sweetness and mottled flesh where the superabundance of sugar has reached saturation. Other types are closer to the wild crab apple, with a large and well-developed core and less flesh, but having a tart and refreshing flavor.

  The large space given over to the seeds suggests a closer relationship to wild apples, and Davidson points out that most modern apples, with their thick layer of flesh surrounding a tiny seedbox are the result of careful cultivation. The apples we most often eat are very much created through the ingenuity of mankind rather than a simple harvesting of nature’s bounty. Not that this makes them any the worse for eating, but when using them in the kitchen it is worth noting their different qualities.

  

  Apples come in a variety of colors and sizes.

  Photo: Ian Bartholomew

  The British make a distinction between eating and cooking apples, and while this is only a vague reference, one should be aware that some apples break up more easily when cooked, while others hold their shape. The former are good for purees and sauces, while the later are superior for French style apple tarts where you want the fruit to look pretty. In many instances, the type of apples does not make much difference as long as you like its flavor.

  While apples are most often used in desserts, nothing being more iconic than the American apple pie, it has long been used in savory dishes as well. The mixture works particularly well with tart apples, and the combination of fatty pork and apples is referenced in Apicius, a culinary text from the Roman empire. Roast pork with apple sauce is a festive staple and it is fun to experiment with different kinds of apple in making this dish.

  Apples have strong and well established health credentials that go far beyond the adage of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Apples are particularly good for cultivating good bacteria in our digestive system as they are a rich source of polyphenols, which help increase the population of bifidobacteria in our gut. A stomach that is working smoothly is a key to good health, and apples seem to be a good way of keeping that little engine of digestion running.

  Such has been the popularity of the apple through the ages that it has entered into the folklore of many countries, not least being the apple that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. The apple can be cultivated to a high level of beauty as well as gastronomic interest, though often these two facets do not always coincide. The dull skinned apple with mottled markings may taste much better than the luscious looking red fruit that has not a single blemish. Such indeed is the visual and gustatory complexity of this fruit that a whole area of artistic endeavor (if a rather obscure one) has developed around it: this is the field of pomology, in which description and study of apples (and other fruit) is embarked on with all the solemn ritual and heightened sensitivity that is usually associated with wine or fine spirits.

  All you need to get started is to take your first bite.

  Recipe

  (serves six)

  As delicious as fresh apples are, cooked apples open up a whole new taste sensation, and the easiest way of eating cooked apples is to put them into a crumble. No careful knife work is required, and the crumble is so much easier to put together than a proper pie pastry. Apple crumble is said to have its origins in the privations of the World War II, when there wasn’t time or ingredients to make pastry, but a good crumble tastes so much better than a mediocre pie. Use whatever apples you have on hand, or a mixture of varieties to produce a blend of flavors. You can also experiment using different kinds of sugars to create different textures and flavors, with less processed sugars generally giving a deeper flavor.

  Ingredients

  For the filling

  500g of apples, cored, peeled and roughly chopped

  20g raisins

  2 tbsp sugar

  1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

  5 whole cloves (optional)

  For the topping

  180g plain flour

  110g golden castor sugar

  110g cold butter, cut into cubes

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180c.

  2. Generously grease an ovenproof dish with butter.

  3. Mix all the ingredients for the filling an place in the dish.

  4. Put the ingredients for the topping in a bowl. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour and sugar until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

  5. Pour on top of the apple mixture and press down with a fork to produce a flat surface.

  6. Put in the oven and cook for about 45 minutes or until the top in a light golden brown.

  7. Serve warm with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

  Ian Bartholomew runs Ian’s Table, a small guesthouse in Hualien. He has lived in Taiwan for many years writing about the food scene and has decided that until you look at farming, you know nothing about the food you eat. He can be contacted at Hualien202@gmail.com.
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