Autumn Sangria with Hard Cider

This past weekend I did all the apple picking and cider mill hopping that I wanted to at Holmberg Orchards and B.F. Clyde's here in CT. Now my kitchen is stocked with fresh pressed cider, apples for pie, and some of my favorite hard cider which I've used to conjure up an enticing autumn brew!

Everyone loves sangria - it's sweet, smooth, contains yummy bits of fruit to nom on and goes down WAY too easily. It's something I personally associate with warm weather and time spent outside in the sun, while apple cider is something I crave as soon as the crisp fall air comes around and daylight dwindles. But why not combine the two by replacing the grape wine with hard cider?

Choose a cider that is sweet, not dry, for this recipe. If you live in an area with lots of apple orchards, chances are you might have a local cider mill that crafts hard cider, so look around for local tastings. Otherwise a couple bottles of a sweeter variety of the popular brands like Woodchuck or Crispin would work. I used a bottle of Macintosh from Holmberg Orchards for the CT area folks! 

Autumn Sangria with Hard Cider

(makes about 6 servings)

1 sweet apple, cored and sliced

1 tart apple, cored and cut into cubes

3/4 cup fall raspberries

6 seckel pears, whole

1 750mL bottle hard cider

1/2 cup bourbon

2 Tbsp Calvados or other apple brandy

1 cup ginger beer

1. To a large pitcher add all the prepared fruit. Pour in the bourbon, calvados and ginger beer and stir. Slowly add the bottle of hard cider. Set in the fridge for 2 hours and serve. (If you'd prefer to preserve more carbonation, serve immediately or hold off on adding the hard cider until serving. It is delicious even when completely flat though!)

Pinwheel Apple Cobbler

It's about time I take a break from pumpkins and squash and give apples their due. I'm just so damn enchanted by pumpkins!

Apple picking on a crisp day and the sweet smell of apples baking with cinnamon are some of my favorite things about autumn, though. I remember being a little girl sitting with my best friend under an apple tree behind my dad's shop stuffing our greedy little faces with some of the best apples I've ever had. They were sweet and juicy, so red they even had tiny pink veins running through the flesh. These apples were forbidden, however. The tree belonged to my neighbor who owned the property, and you didn't mess with Stanley's fruit! We did anyway, of course...

Nowadays I still stuff my greedy little face with apples, but I get to bake with them too. This dessert is a fun play on the traditional cobbler. Part biscuit, part cookie and part cinnamon roll, the pretty little swirls give the cobbler some extra fall whimsy!

I like to use a mixture of apples whenever I bake to create some complexity - some tart and crisp, some sweet and juicy. I used Tompkins County King, Jonagold and Macs. The biscuits are quite sweet, so adjust the sugar in the apples accordingly to taste and how sweet or tart the fruit is.

Pinwheel Apple Cobbler

(biscuit recipe from Bon Appetit)

Biscuits

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

2 Tbsp minced crystallized ginger

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2/3 cup whipping cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp melted butter

Filling

1/4-1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

2 Tbsp flour

1/4 tsp salt

3 1/2 lb apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1. For the biscuits: Mix brown sugar, ginger and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. Mix flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, (or you can do this in a food processor) cut in the chilled butter until a coarse meal forms. Stir in cream and vanilla until moist clumps form. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently just until smooth.

2. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a 9x15 inch rectangle. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the spiced sugar mixture. Starting at one long side, roll up jelly roll style. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour and up to a day. 

3. For the filling: Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 10 inch cake pan or similar sized vessel with at least 2 inch sides. Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the apples and toss gently until they are evenly coated with the sugar mixture. Pour into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until they have begun to soften and release some juices. 

4. Cut the biscuit dough log crosswise into 1 inch thick biscuits. Place biscuits on top of apple filling, spacing evenly. Bake for 45 minutes, or until biscuits are golden and filling is bubbly. Cool for at least 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream, fresh whipped cream, or hmm even some sharp cheddar cheese!

Apple Cider Donut Bread Pudding

About a month ago the boyfriend and I went on vacation to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  It was a celebration of autumn awesomeness filled with epic mountains, changing leaves, lakes and waterfalls. We did a fair bit of hiking to find some spectacular views, and overall the weather was excellent.

Aaaand we also ate a lot. At least I can try to rationalize that all that hiking helped burn some of the calories from the epic meals I ate, right? We had everything from gigantic crepes to pizza to a ridiculously rich and creamy shepherd's pie delivered directly to our B&B (The Lazy Dog Inn) from Grammy Gordon's. Oh yeah, and apple cider donuts. Have I mentioned those yet?

The best apple cider donuts in THE WORLD come from The White Mountain Cider Company in Bartlett, NH. Their deli and store is located in this adorable little barn which instantly greets you with the warming scents of hot cider and freshly fried donuts. When these donuts come fresh out of the fryer, you should just eat them. All of them. Trust me, it's not hard. They are delicate and crispy on the outside giving way to a soft, lightly spiced interior perfect for dipping into your cider if you so choose. 

It also happens that they have an incredible restaurant and bar too. Among the food we sampled were their homemade potato chips that come with a selection of sauces. They came in an enormous casserole dish, and although it was just the two of us, we finished all but about 5 potato chips... just so we didn't look like gluttons, you know...? Also, we had this: 

Stop giving me those come hither eyes...

Yep. That's their apple cider donut sundae with caramel sauce. Need I say more? If you're ever in the White Mountain area, GO THERE!

The day before we left we got a little crazy and bought a dozen donuts to take home with us. Several of them didn't make it home... but I still had quite a few leftover. By the day after I returned home they were pretty stale. I wasn't about to let those beauties go to waste though! What better way to use them than a yummy bread pudding?

Apple Cider Donut Bread Pudding

I made this on the lightly sweet side. It was just right for my tastes, but if you like things sweet you may find you want to add a little sugar. Also note, these donuts do not have any sugar coating or glaze, so if you use donuts with additional sugar on the outside, take that into account.

3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup apple cider
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
5 cups stale apple cider donuts
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and cubed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a glass baking dish (your average pie plate works nicely)
2. Cut the donuts into about 1 inch cubes. Combine the donut pieces with the cubed apple and place into the prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, cider, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. Pour the milk mixture over the donuts pressing down lightly to allow all of the donut pieces to absorb the milky mixture of magnificence. Let it sit in the refridgerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. Place the baking dish with the donuts inside a larger baking dish. (We're doing a water bath here people!) Fill the outer dish with enough water to reach about halfway up the side of your pudding dish.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven. Server WARM with the cider sauce.

For the Cider "Creme Anglaise" (because I'm fancy)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple cider

1. In a double boiler melt the butter (or a glass bowl set over a small pot of simmering water if you don't have a double boiler - just a little water. don't let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.) Add the sugar and whisk to combine for about 1 minute. Add the cider and wisk for about 2 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the egg yolks one at a time while whisking constantly. Once combined, return to heat and continue to whisk for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Serve the sauce over the bread pudding.