How 'bout them Apples

Chelan County, WA- possibly the appleiest place is Washington, which is saying something, as Washington State is the true “big apple” and home of the Apple Cup. (Go Cougs!) So, when I was invited to a cider pressing party, I naturally headed for the smack-dab center of the state to collect the necessary supplies.One stop at Smallwood’s Harvest in Peshastin, WA and 800 lbs. of Golden Delicious later, I was set, so onward and westward!

Golden D’s, while sporting a great juice to skin/pulp ratio, tend to be sweet, yet simple, with little else to offer in regards to flavor profiles. As their coloring and sweet simplicity would suggest, they tend to be the dumb blondes of the horticultural world. So, my truckload of apples provided a good base. Now we just needed to add some interest to the mix. That’s where the other truck of miscellaneous heirloom varietals from an old-growth orchard there on the west side came in handy.

The cider pressing was divided into six different stations, that is, if you don’t count the fine people manning the BBQ pit and just hangin’ around for some nosh and spirited conversation.

And those six stations were as follows…

1. Rinse tub: the apples went from the truck bed, directly into a bathtub full of H2O.

2. Chopping station: the fruit was sorted and quartered.

3. Grinder: the apple sections were sent through the hand-cranked grinder and converted into mash.

4. Press: the mash was squeezed for as much of it’s liquid content as possible with a hand-powered crank.

5. Bottling: the freshly pressed juice was then filtered and bottled.

6. Compost: the remaining mash was then sent to the compost pile.

The cast iron and wooden cider press that we used was built in 1853. Mike Johnson, one of the hosts of the party commented “you can’t exactly go out and pick up parts for one of these.” Which is fine because the press worked splendidly and looks as if it will keep on pressin’ for another 157 years.

An estimated 100-ish gallons of cider was pressed that day and I will go to extreme measures to be invited to this fall fest again in 2011. I headed back with a plenty of cider to drop to any of my friends and family quick enough to respond to my mass text-odus reading “Hear ye, hear ye- freshly pressed cider delivery today only for those who have their own glass containers.”

The rest I took home to hoard and of course, find creative ways to plank with… which leads me to this week’s recipe.

Cedar Planked McIntosh Apples stuffed with Cranberries and Italian Plums… but wait! Soak the planks in cider for an extra-apple-y kick.

First: Soak Cedar or Maple Grilling Planks in cider (water will work just fine too) for an hour of more.

Next: Glaze 3 cup of cranberries and 1 cup of quartered Italian plums in a simple brown sugar, Cabernet, and butter reduction.

Then: Core apples, but leave some bottom portion to hold stuffing. Set apples on soaked cedar/maple grilling plank, then stuff with plum and cranberry mix.

Now: Place on preheated Medium-High (400°) grill and close lid. Let cook for 12-15 minutes.

Finally: Remove carefully and serve with freshly-made whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Welcome to your weekend! -KB