Apple

About

Apple flavor combines fresh, green fruitiness with a balance of sourness and sweetness, ranging from sweeter varieties like Fuji and Gala through mid-range Golden Delicious to tart Braeburn, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith, down to the very sour Bramley cooking apple. Different cultivars carry their own additional notes: floral (rose), or fruity ones like damson, pear, pineapple, strawberry, and rhubarb. Some apples show spice notes such as nutmeg or anise, dairy notes like butter, cream, or cheese, nutty notes near the core (where the seeds taste of almond), or hints of honey, wine, and bubblegum. Apples are the most widely grown fruit in temperate climates, valued both for flavor and versatility: eaten raw, baked into cakes, pies, and puddings, or made into jelly, sauces, juice, cider, and brandy.

Pairs well with apple

• CiOrangeApple and orange combine well when the apple is cooked first, one method browns apple segments in butter, caramelizes them with brown…
• WoAlmondA split almond croissant spread with cream cheese on one side and apple purée on the other makes a quick pastry reminiscent of strudel.
• SpCinnamonA classic pairing: cinnamon's sweet, woody warmth softens apple's sharpness, though it's easy to overdo and should be used with a light…
• MaShellfishGrating a cold, sharp apple into crab mayonnaise adds a fresh, acidic lift to its richness.
• MePorkPigs were traditionally given the run of orchards, where windfall apples fattened them while they fertilized the ground and cleared…
• GrAniseStar anise and plain anise share almost the same flavor compound, anethole, which also reinforces the anise taste of licorice candy.
• FfVanillaVanilla ice cream or custard is a familiar accompaniment to apple pie or crumble, and ground vanilla sugar can be dusted over hot, crisp…
• BrBaconFidget (or fitchett) pie is a traditional English dish layering sliced apple, bacon, onion and sometimes potato under a pastry crust.
• ChHard CheeseSharp cheese and apple, together with bread, is the backbone of the traditional ploughman's lunch, the apple's acidity cuts through the…
• WoCarrotGrated apple and carrot make a sweet-sour salad that's popular with children, dressed simply with neutral oil and lemon juice and finished…
• SpPeppercornPreserving expert Pam Corbin adds cracked black pepper to apple cheese (a firm fruit preserve), where the pepper's woody heat cuts through…
• MuMustardThe liquid used to hydrate mustard seeds or powder changes the finished mustard's flavor, food writer Florence White, in her 1932 book…
• CrRaisinRaisin and apple share a chemical link, the compound beta-damascenone, partly responsible for the smell of cooked raisins, also smells of…
• FrPineappleThe word 'pineapple' originally referred to pinecones in English; the diarist John Evelyn is credited with the first recorded use of the…
• FrPlumApple and plum jam has a mixed reputation, British soldiers in the First World War grew tired of it as a dietary staple.
• WoWalnutThe two share robust autumnal flavors and combine well with beets, orange and watercress in a salad reminiscent of a New England fall.
• RoPeanutGrated or sliced apple in a peanut butter sandwich is a less sugary alternative to jam, and a tart apple like Granny Smith provides a more…
• CrPruneApple and prune is an underused pairing, the apple's brightness balances the prune's dense sweetness, and even a modest amount of prune…
• GrBuckwheatBuckwheat shares aroma compounds with caramel, honey and clove, which makes it a natural match for apple.
• GrKaleA salad of kale, sliced apple (a variety like Cox's Orange Pippin works well) and smoked almonds, tossed in a simple vinaigrette, pairs…
• EaRyeRye's natural acidity, as baker Dan Lepard notes, works well with both chocolate and apple.
• EaCeleryApple, celery and walnut bound lightly with mayonnaise is the classic Waldorf salad.
• RoMaple syrupMaple syrup isn't particular about which apple it's paired with, as long as the apple is strongly flavored and used generously enough to…
• SuCabbageWhile pineapple or orange are sometimes used with raw cabbage in coleslaw, apple is the fruit that best complements slow-cooked cabbage's…
• BeCranberryCranberries have long been paired with other autumn fruit, especially apple, in preserves and juice blends.
• SpNutmegNutmeg's rich, warm freshness lifts plain warm apple purée, a light grating over the top, served with vanilla ice cream, is a simple way…
• WoOatApple and oats are best known together in Bircher muesli, created by the Swiss nutritionist Maximilian Bircher-Brenner.
• ChSoft CheeseYoung Brie or Camembert sliced thin alongside apple tastes like apples with cream.
• EaBeetA sharp apple tempers beet's earthy richness, a mix of roughly one part diced apple to two parts diced cooked beet, skin left on the apple…
• FrPearApple and pear were the first two fruit trees grown in Britain, making this one of the oldest fruit pairings, one traditional dish poaches…