October Is Apple Season

October is apple season — and what better excuse to bring home a big basket of them?

Apples are wonderful in both sweet and savoury cooking: pies, cakes, crumbles, compotes, salads, sauces, and even with meat and cheese.

🍎 Which Apple for What?

A quick guide:

• Granny Smith — tart and firm → pies, tarts, crumbles and savoury dishes

• Golden Delicious — sweet and juicy → cakes, compotes and baked apples

• Gala — sweet and crisp → salads, cakes and eating fresh

• Pink Lady — crisp and nicely balanced → salads, tarts and baking

• Reine des Reinettes — aromatic and slightly tart → pies, tarts and compotes

• Boskoop — acidic and excellent cooked → pies, compotes and baked apples

• Braeburn — firm and fragrant → pies, cakes and savoury dishes

And don't be afraid to mix varieties. A combination of sweet and tart apples often makes the best pie or crumble.

🍎 Beyond Apple Pie

Of course, I love an apple pie! On my blog you'll find my Greek Reversed Apple Pie, my Juicy Apple Pie, my Apple Pie with Coconut Crust, not to forget my Milopitakia (little Greek apple pies, perfect with coffee, tea or a warm chocolate).

But apples can do so much more.

🍏 Breakfast: porridge, yogurt, pancakes or homemade apple compote.

🍏 Baking: cakes, crumbles, tarts, muffins, turnovers and baked apples.

🍏 Savoury: try apples with pork, chicken or duck, or serve thinly sliced apple with cheese and walnuts.

🍏 Something simple: bake an apple with cinnamon, honey, nuts and a little butter. That's autumn in a bowl!

And if you are making lots of apple recipes this month, don't forget my post about the apple peeler I discovered (easy to get it online), it makes preparing apples so much easier!

If you love baking with apples, you'll find many more ideas in my latest cookbook, Vivian Is Cooking BAKING (available worldwide in Amazon) a whole collection of homemade baking inspiration for cosy days in the kitchen (in paperback for easy worktop everyday use, or lovely hardcover to offer as a premium gift to others or yourself ;)

October + apples + a warm oven = autumn happiness. 🍎🍂