Food and Flowers: August Apples

FOOD & FLOWERS

A MONTHLY FEATURE SHOWCASING SEASONAL FLOWERS AND PRODUCE AS WE FIND THEM in the virginia countryside. FOOD IN FLOWERS AND EDIBLE FLOWERS IN FOOD WITH FLORAL DESIGNER HOLLY CHAPPLE AND... US! 

On the heels of our cookbook announcement, some space opened in our lives (like a sliver)…Which we immediately filled with food and flowers. It’s so easy to let life get in the way of projects that are more ‘fun’ and less client-centric and so Food and Flowers went on pause for a little. Until Holly and I decided “screw that” and got back to it. And yes, we’ve already got next month on the calendar.

For August we played with apples. In Virginia farmers markets, the apples have made their first appearance, right along side the peaches, melons and tomatoes. You can see how Holly tucked some red tone apples into this arrangement along with pinks (those dahlias!!!) and purples and greens that if you look closely enough, you’ll find some green beans on the vine.

When it comes to apples for culinary applications, the possibilities are endless. We tried to avoid making a standard dessert (tarts, pies, etc) and instead opted to show how to use it as a savory ingredient…slash cocktail. And honestly, I’m not sure why you would expect anything different- of course we’ve got a beverage.

below you’ll find three recipes:

1. Aged cheddar, apple, herb flatbread with smoked sausage

2. Shredded fennel, apple, walnut salad with apple cider vinegar dressing

3. Applewood cocktail that includes smoked gin and clove brown sugar syrup

You can see Holly starting her piece using her floral pillow she invented. It works as a floral foam alternative which is great because it’s reusable and takes waste out of the floral industry cycle while helping you create structure.

You can buy it (yes, even as a non-florist) and use it at home in any container!

Applewood Smoked Cocktail

A smoky, cusp of fall gin cocktail that uses smoke and spices. Easy to scale up and serve for a small group at one time.

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 oz gin

1/2 oz lemon juice

3/4 oz brown sugar syrup * see below

1 dash bitters

smoke cinnamon and apple wood

Directions

To make brown sugar syrup: add equal parts water and brown sugar to a pan over medium heat (for example 1/2 cup to 1/2 cup). Stir to combine and bring to a simmer with a 8 cloves and 8 whole black pepper pieces. Stir to dissolve, remove from heat and cool Strain and discard spices. Store in fridge up to 2 weeks.

To make cocktail: Add ingredients to a bottle or jar with a lid. Smoke with a smoke gun using apple wood and pieces of a whole cinnamon stick broken up to load smoke gun. Fill bottle/jar with smoke, seal and shake lightly until smoke dissipates from bottle/into drink. Pour into cocktail stirring glass with half a cup of ice cubes. Stir with a bar spoon for twenty seconds. Strain into coupe glass. Garnish with dried apple slice.

Aged cheddar, apple, herb flatbread with smoked sausage

The perfect savory lunch when you want something that balances cheese and bread with something crisp and fresh. This was team Chapple’s favorite.

Serves 2 (as an entree, or 4 as an appetizer/side)

Ingredients

Flatbread:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup whole fat plain yogurt

canola or vegetable oil

Additional ingredients:

2 Tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoon all purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup freshly shredded aged cheddar cheese

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

1 shallot, very thinly sliced

canola or vegetable oil

2 Small crisp apples, cut into thin slices

1 cup smoked sausage, sliced

1 large shallot, quartered

fresh dill, flat leaf parsley, thyme, and chives

1/2 Tablespoon garlic herb Boursin cheese

yarrow also pictured as a topping

Directions:

To make flatbread: Add flour, salt, baking powder to a a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and separate clumps. Add yogurt. Stir to combine. Knead. Divide into two even balls. wrap in plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes. Flour counter and roll into thin, oblong shape (no more than a quarter inch thick) while heating grill pan. Cook over medium high heat on greased grill pan until browned and cooked all the way through.

To make cheese sauce: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once butter has melted and starts to foam, add flour and whisk 3-5 minutes until it begins to smell nutty. Pour in milk while whisking, reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes, whisking occasionally until sauce is thick. Add grated cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from stone top and set aside.

To prep the rest of the toppings: On the same grill used for the flatbreads, grease grill pan and brown sausages and quartered shallots. Shallots should be soft.

To make crispy shallots, add a very shallow amount of oil like vegetable oil or canola oil (something with a higher smoke point) to a small cast iron skillet (about a quarter inch). Add thinly sliced shallots (I use a mandolin) into the cold oil, turn on the stovetop to medium high. Cook until browned and crispy. Do not crowd the pan. Remove when crispy and place on a papertowel to absorb extra oil.

To assemble flatbreads: Add about 2 Tablespoons of the cheese sauce to the flatbread and spread evenly. Add thinly sliced apples, sausage, shallots, chopped herbs, small pieces of Boursin, and top with crispy shallots.

Fennel Apple Slaw

No surprises here! We love fennel slaw, so we matchstick cut some crisp green apple for crisp, sweet texture and added hearty walnuts to a apple cider vinegar dressing.

serves 4

Ingredients

Side salad: fennel, apple, walnut, celery, mustard, herbs, light vinegar

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon whole grain dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon sugar

salt and pepper

1 fennel bulb, core removed, sliced very thinly

1 crisp green apple, cut into thin matchsticks

1/4 cup walnut halves, chopped

flat leaf parsley

fennel fronds

Directions

Add oil, lemon, vinegar, mustard, sugar and salt and pepper to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add fennel, apple and walnuts to a large bowl and toss with dressing. Plate and top with herbs.