Fortunately, apples can last a long time when they are stored in a cool place.

I recommend using apples fairly soon after they have been picked for recipes where they won’t be cooked. This way they will be at their optimal crispness. When apples are stored for a long time, their peel will begin to toughen and the flesh will get softer. They are still perfect for baking though.

This year I lugged home a huge bag of Spigold apples. They are a cross between Northen Spy and Golden Delicious apples, and they have worked beautifully for apple desserts.

I made two different types of French apple tarts with my Spigolds. The first was an Apple Nougat Tart, where a sweet dough shell is filled with caramelized apples and topped with a sugared egg white and sliced almond mixture. The topping transforms in the oven to a slightly chewy crust that adds the perfect touch of sweetness and nuttiness to the apples. It’s truly delicious.

The second was a Baked Apple Tart using an almond frangipane filling. Pate a foncer dough, which is very crisp and buttery, is filled with the almond cream and then topped with fanned apple slices. As it bakes, the almond filling puffs up into the apples and whole thing is enticingly fragrant. Eating this tart reminds me of eating a luscious coffee cake.

Every year we pick apples we also make applesauce. My mom has a food mill that we use to run the cooked apple pieces through, then the applesauce is lightly sweetened with sugar and spiced with some fresh cinnamon.While we were engaging in this process I also made some caramel apples for my brother, who is a huge fan.

But now to the Apple Spice Cupcakes. The cupcakes are tender, slightly spicy, and the perfect compliment to the grated apple pieces that are dotted throughout. I made a salted caramel sauce which I used to flavor basic Italian buttercream and also drizzled over the finished cupcakes.

Happy Fall!

Apple Spice Cupcakes (The Pastry Queen Christmas by Rebecca Rather)

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons light molasses
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 tart baking apples, peeled and shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula then beat in the molasses. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground spices to blend.

Add the flour mixture and sour cream alternately to the batter, starting and ending with the flour mixture. After each addition, beat on low speed just to combine the ingredients. Stir in the shredded apples, vanilla, and ginger.

Spoon the batter 2/3 full into the muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes until the cupcakes spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Salted Caramel Sauce (The Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard)

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed to 100 degrees F
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine the water, 1 cup sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan over high heat, being careful not to get any of the mixture on the side of the pot.  Once the mixture boils, stop stirring from this point on. The caramel will be very bubbly and be careful, because it is very hot.

Meanwhile, heat a saucepan of water and place a whisk in it.

Insert a candy thermometer into the caramel pot. When the temperature reaches 300 degrees F, lower the heat to medium, which will slow the cooking. Continue to cook to 350 degrees F.

When the caramel reaches 350 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat. It should be golden brown. Let it rest for 1 minute, or until the bubbles have subsided. Add the warm cream to the caramel. It will bubble up vigorously so be careful.

Quickly whisk the creme fraiche, 1 tablespoon sugar, lemon juice, and salt into the caramel. Cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container for up to a month. When cold, it has the consistency of peanut butter.

Personally, I think this sauce tastes better if it has had a day to rest in the refrigerator.

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (you will have one leftover in your package)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 small to medium baking apples
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar. Peel (a vegetable peeler works great for this), core, and cut the apples in half. Place one half, cut side down, on a cutting board. With a small sharp knife, thinly slice the apple half into about 12 slices. Do not move or separate the slices. Repeat with the remaining 5 halves. Leave cut side down.

Cut the puff pastry into 6 rectangles and place on the baking sheet. Pick up one apple half without disturbing the slices. Place on a pastry rectangle and apply slight pressure on the diagonal to fan out the apple slices until they nearly fill the length of the pastry rectangle. Leave a border of 1/4 inch all the way around. Repeat with remaining rectangles of puff pastry and apple halves.

Sprinkle each tartlet with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden around the edges and the apples are softened. Drizzle each with 1 teaspoon of maple syrup. Serve warm or at room temperature. These are best served the day they are made.

Yield: 6 tartlets (6 generous servings, it is best give each person their own tartlet)

Chef Mark’s Southern Comfort Apple Pie (recipe from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather)

Crust: (This is such an easy pie crust recipe…its a breeze to roll out)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2/3 cup (11 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter
• 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, and sugar on low speed about 30 seconds. Cut the chilled butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Add the butter to the flour mixture and combine on low speed 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until the mixture looks crumbly, with bits of dough the size of peas. Add 4 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing on low speed for 10 seconds after each addition. After the last addition, the dough should begin to clump together in a ball. If it doesn’t, continue mixing about 10 seconds longer. If it still looks too dry, add an additional tablespoon ice water. Gently mold the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour. While it chills, you can make the topping, chop apples, and make the apple filling.  When ready, transfer the dough to a lightly floured flat surface. Roll it into a 1/8 inch thick circle large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. To keep the dough from sticking, gently pick it up periodically as you roll it and and rotate it in place, adding more flour underneath if necessary. Wrap the dough lightly over the rolling pin and set it in the ungreased pie plate. Press it into place and use your fingers or a fork to crimp the outside edges.

Topping:

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter

To make the topping, preheat the oven to 350 F. Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them in the oven 7-9 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Coarsely chop the nuts.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process both sugars, the cinnamon, salt, and flour for about 1 minute. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the sugar-flour mixture. Pulse about 10 to 15 times, until the mixture is crumbly. Sitr in the pecans. Refrigerate the toping, covered, in a medium bowl until ready to use.

Apple Filling:

• 5 to 6 medium-size tart apples, such as Braeburn, Cortland, or Winesap
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup Southern Comfort liqueur
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the apples and saute for 5-8 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle it on the apples and stir to combine. Simmer the apples over medium-low heat for about 1 minute longer. Remove the apples from the skillet with a slotted spoon, leaving as much of the butter-sugar mixture in the skillet as possible. Transfer the apples to a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer (If heaped in a pile, the hot apples will steam-cook and become soggy). Pour the Southern Comfort into the butter-sugar mixture in the skillet. Simmer the mixture over medium heat at least 5 minutes, until the alcohol burns off (carefully sniff the mixture at close range; if it burns the insides of your nose, the vapors are still burning off). Add the cream and continue cooking about 5-10 minutes, until the mixture is as thick as pourable caramel. Return the apples to the skillet.

Pour the apple filling into the pie crust and sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is brown. Serve the pie warm or at room temperature.