The Most Delicious Apple Crisp Recipe from The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook

Who doesn’t love a delicious apple crisp and this is the perfect season for all the apple. Check out this wonderful cookbook below and learn about delicious recipes you can make featuring foods from the New York Catskills region.

As summer turns into autumn, there's really no better place to be than in the Catskills, New York State's premier destination for local food enthusiasts. From specialty farms to farmers markets and top restaurants, this unique foodshed is featured in The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook, out now with a new edition, from renowned chef Courtney Wade.

Alexis deBoschnek, author of To The Last Bite, says that the book "captures the unique experience of living in such a vibrant agricultural haven."

Enjoy the two delicious recipes from the book below which are perfect for the fall.

Catskills Traditional Apple Crisp
Serves 8

It's apple season here in upstate New York. From Ginger Gold to Macoun, the trees are heavy with their delicious fruit.

Ingredients

8–10 medium-sized apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the topping:
1/2 cup flour
1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

To make the topping, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a medium bowl. Mix until incorporated and crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place apple slices in a large bowl. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, sugar, and lemon juice. If you are using a sweeter variety of apples, you can omit the sugar if desired. Gently toss the apples until coated. Place apples in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with the crumb topping. Bake for 50–60 minutes until topping is browned and apples are tender and bubbling. Serve warm with optional whipped cream or ice cream.

Autumn Harvest Salad
Serves 6

No time better than now to enjoy the bounty of Catskills farms and gardens. From Barber's Farm in Schoharie to the Hobart Farmers' Market, fresh produce is in abundance throughout the region. 

Ingredients

1 cup butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup beets, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
6 slices bacon, chopped and cooked until crispy
6 large sage leaves
4 cups arugula
4 cups kale, stalks removed and chopped
1 apple, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds reserved and chopped
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

For the vinaigrette:
1/3 cup apple cider
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground

Directions

First, prepare the smoked butternut squash and beets. Set a smoker to 275°F, with preferred chips (I used applewood), that have been pre-soaked in a mixture of half water, half apple juice. Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil; place peeled and chunked squash and beets on the sheet. Coat with olive oil and season with chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place in the preheated smoker and smoke until the desired smokey flavor has been achieved (I typically leave them in for an hour). The vegetables will not be fully cooked at this point. Remove the vegetables from the smoker and place them into an oven, preheated to 400°F. Bake until tender, but still firm, about 20–25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Next, make the vinaigrette. Combine the apple cider, red wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, garlic, peppercorns, fennel seeds, and salt in a mason jar. Seal with a lid and shake until combined. Add salt and/or vinegar as needed to achieve the desired balance.

To make crispy sage leaves, place fresh sage leaves in the reserved bacon grease and cook over medium heat until crisp. Remove and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate.

Finally, assemble the salad. Combine arugula and kale and toss in a large serving bowl. Add sliced apples, red onion, and fennel, and toss again. Top with roasted butternut and beets, bacon, pomegranate seeds, crispy sage leaves, and reserved chopped fennel fronds. Drizzle with vinaigrette, reserving most of the dressing for individual servings if not serving immediately.

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Courtney Wade is a chef, photographer, influencer and graphic designer who lives on a farm in upstate New York. Her unique perspective and dazzling photography bring this must-have collection of recipes and stories to life. Her books include The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook and Pancakes Make People Happy, the latter she co-wrote with Buck Hill Farm proprietors Sharon and Charlotte Collins.


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The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook
Written by Courtney Wade
Foreword by Alexis deBoschnek
978-1-961293-16-8, $25.00 hardcover
978-1-961293-17-5, $9.99 ebook

Published by Hatherleigh Press.
Distributed through Penguin Random House.
Available wherever books are sold.
www.hatherleighpress.com