This delicious pie baked by Eileen Poppleton was the first-place winner of the 2010 Annual Harvest Festival and Apple Pie Baking Contest at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College. INGREDIENTS: 1 recipe for 9-inch double-crust pie 1/2 cup unsalted butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup packed...Read More

INGREDIENTS: Crust: Use your favorite recipe Filling 1 1/4 cups sour cream 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 egg 6 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4″ thick Topping 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup packed...Read More

Someone once gave me a large box of apples and I needed a way to use them up before they spoiled. I came up with this one morning and the kids loved it. I teach this recipe to middle-school cooking classes, and I enjoy hearing how the students use this dish at home. Sautéed apples...Read More

These muffins are a nice treat for breakfast or lunchboxes and are not very sweet. For an unusual accompaniment for a cheese plate, delete the cinnamon and vanilla and bake in small loaf pans and cut into slices and serve with sharp cheddars and brie. INGREDIENTS: 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 1/2 cup sugar 2...Read More

Use this dressing with Savoy Cabbage and Apple Slaw. It’s also great with Apple Arugula Salad or a fennel apple salad. INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard 1 tablespoon (or to taste) agave syrup, or other neutral-flavored sweetener 1/2 tablespoon minced shallot 1/4 teaspoon fresh minced thyme or a pinch of dried...Read More

Cabbage and apples are frequently seen in each other’s company in recipes for a reason — they taste really good together. The crunch and sweetness of the apple complement the same qualities of the cabbage, and the earthiness of the cabbage plays up the floral aromas of apples. This slaw is quick, simple, and tastes...Read More

This is a vintage recipe for old fashioned Persimmon pudding, an American classic. You must use completely ripe persimmons — you will know they are fully ripe when they are soft and the pulp has an almost jelly-like consistency. INGREDIENTS: 6 to 7 very ripe Hachiya persimmons 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons...Read More

Burdock and salsify look quite similar and are frequently confused and mislabeled. I find, when correctly labeled, salsify has a subtler taste than burdock. Burdock, also known as gobo (the Japanese for it), has a more assertive, “root-ier” taste. INGREDIENTS: Juice of 1/2 lemon 1/2 pound burdock root 2 cups stock (vegetable or chicken, or...Read More

Celery root, also known as celeriac, has to be one of the gnarliest, ugliest, roots we eat. In spite of its lack of physical beauty, when it comes to flavor it can charm. A lighter flavor than branch celery, it still has that fresh green quality that branch celery brings to the table. This salad...Read More

This dish was inspired by a small plate that a chef sent out one hot night almost thirty years ago. It was one of those things where the chef was being thrifty, but I would have paid gladly for this great combination of cool crunch and silky, nutty-flavored sauce. As it was, the waitress brought...Read More