I know it seems unusual to be talking about a fruit that won't be harvested for months, but I love apples. Apples are my absolute favorite food to eat and prepare.
Many Wisconsin farms had at least one apple tree. My parents' first farm in Marshall had one that grew along the lane. None of us siblings knew what kind of apples it bore, but they were the crispiest little fruits. We would munch on apples while doing chores. That tree is gone now, but all of my brothers and sisters remember the distinct flavor of those apples.
Every fall, my grandmother from Germany, "Oma," would visit for a full month. Oma always said she couldn't tolerate our hot Wisconsin summers, but I'm convinced she came for ripe tomatoes and flavorful apples.
The start of school will forever remind me of a dish she made called "Äpfels und Pyjamas," or Apples and Pajamas. When my siblings and I got off the bus after school, Oma would have bowls of warm, poached apples, topped with homemade vanilla pudding, sitting out in the kitchen. That farmhouse kitchen would serve to turn bushels of apples into crisps, pies and apple tart.
Apples are certainly worth the time invested to create a dish that will forever warm the heart. Since I've been cooking, I've been buying apples from the orchard down the road from the farm where I grew up. Mr. Zickert of Zickert's Orchard still comes to greet us after a couple friendly toots of our car horn. His late wife, Margaret, a true recipe guru, often had her prize recipes published in our local papers.
In my kitchen I use apples to sweeten cabbage dishes, as healthy snacks for the kids, as filling for crepes, and for making my all-time favorite dessert, Apple Pizza. My mom found the Apple Pizza recipe in a newspaper back in the 1950s. This dessert, although simple, is absolutely delicious.
When my husband first suggested I offer these recipes, I was reluctant. They're so dear to my heart, letting them out of my recipe box seemed somehow wrong. However, after some soul-searching and reflection on all the recipes that Margaret Zickert shared, I thought, "Why not?" After all, it is Valentine's Day.
Apple Pizza
Filling
- 7 cups of apples, peeled and sliced
- 1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (not melted)
Apples and Pajamas
Apple sauce
- 4 apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
Vanilla pudding
- 1/2 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1-1/2 tablespoons vanilla