4 recipes for apple-picking season

It's apple picking season in Finland! We are lucky enough to have family and friends who have apple trees so we can just go get those sweet free fruit. If you don't know people with a tree, don't worry there are Finnish apples all over markets and supermarkets in October. As much as we love eating raw apples, it gets a bit old when you have many.

So here are my go-to recipes!

A taste of childhood

My mom used tobakeapple in the oven when I was a kid and I loved it! This is the easiest apple recipe ever, you don't even need to peel them!

For 6 people:

Take 6 apples, carve the middle to remove seeds (don't carve the bottom). Place the apples on an oven dish, and add 6 soup spoons of jam of your choice in the middle of each apple. Put 6 soup spoons of water on thebottom of your dish. Cook the apples in the oven at 180° for 30min (40 min if you like them really tender).

A classic with a twist

I always love an apple crumble, it's easy to make and absolutely delicious. I love to add some summer berries to it for a sour twist!

For 6 people:

You will need 5 apples, a handful of berries (my favorite to add to this recipe is blackcurrant), 150g of flours, 100g of softened butter, and 150g of sugar. Peel the apples and cut them in pieces, place them in an oven dish (20 to 22cm diameter), add the berries. Mix the sugar, flour and butter with your hands (yes that's the best part!) and spread the mix over the fruit. Cook the crumble in the oven for 30min at 180°.

A new Finnish favorite

My colleague brought this apple pie to work one day and I fell in love with it! There are a million ways to make an apple pie but this is my new favorite. It will take alittle bit more time than the 2 first ones but it's worth it!

For 6 people:

For the dough, you will need: 100g of butter, 1dl of sugar, 2,5dl of flours, half a teaspoon of baking powder and 2tablespoons of water. For the inside you need: 100g of cream cheese, 0,5dl of cream, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1teaspoon of vanilla sugar and 4 to 5 apples.

Mix softened butter, sugar and flours, then add water and place into a mold (25cm diameter). Mix all ingredients except the apple. Add apples on top as thin slices. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top.

Cook in the oven for 30 mins at 200°.

A forever French favorite

The tarte Tatin is my all times favorite, its caramelized taste is unique and so is the recipe. Here is my best family recipe, use it well.

For 6 people:

250g of pie-crust pastry (you can find it ready-made or make it yourself), 125g of butter, 200g of sugar and 2kg of apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half. Take a glass dish (suitable for stove and oven cooking), put in on the stove (low heat) and start melting the butter in it. When the butter is melted, add the sugar and shortly after add the apples, make sure they are close enough that they can hold each other in horizontal position. When the apples start to get a bit soft and caramelized, take the dish off thestove. You can now add the pie pastry on top of the apples, perforate the dough with tiny holesso it doesn't blow up. Put the dish in the oven to cook for approximately 15min at 175°. When the crustseemscooked, take out the dish and turn over the pie on a big plate, now the apples are facing up and you can soon enjoy this amazing tarte tatin!

You're welcome, enjoy!