The hours of daylight are drawing shorter, sunshine take longer to awaken in the morning, and dew - soon to be frost - hangs heavy on each blade of browning grass and wind-kissed leaf as each new day breaks.
There is a near palpable excitement in the air, fall is little more than a week away and with it comes the return of many, many scrumptious foods - scores of which are just starting to hit their stride in terms of seasonal availability and freshness.
Without a doubt, there is no fruit that personifies autumn more than apples. Sure, others - pears and grapes, for example - speak of this golden tinged chapter of the year, but it is apples, for countless centuries now, that have heralded fall's triumphant return and brought such joy to our dining tables.
In celebration of the fact that the seasons are changing hands again and the abundance of locally grown apples that are out in full force here in the Okanagan (Canada's most famous and, I believe, prolific, apple growing region), I thought that it would be fun to shine the spotlight on a delicious vintage recipe for apple pie.
This circa 1940s recipe for Rosy Apple Pie has a fun twist, the flavour of which just ups the autumnal-ness of this tasty dish all the more in my books - cinnamon candies. Of course, if Red Hots aren't your favourite or they're hard to come by where you live, by all means swap them out for some regular powdered cinnamon from your spice rack instead (and likewise, as I always say, if shortening isn't up your alley, by all means use favourite suitable cooking fat, such as butter or margarine, here in lieu of it).
{I love how the pretty red tinge from the cinnamon candies in this vintage apple pie recipe lend it an even more autumnal note that is redolent of seasonal garnet hued maple leaves and glowing fall time sunsets. Vintage recipe image source.}
Apples are one of my favourite fruits ever. They're filling, contain healthy fiber, are great for you, and can be put to work in a plethora of savoury and sweet dishes alike (I'm especially fond, come autumn time, of slowly pan cooking them with sweet onions, thyme, black pepper, and a dash of cinnamon or all spice, and serving them with roasted or grilled meats and/or vegetables). It would be a crime against the season, assuming you're able to safely eat them (aka, that they don't both you from a medical standpoint), not to load up on scores of them while they're at their fall time finest.
I always make a point to do just that, even picking our own from various local orchards some years. In pies (for all my fellow gluten-free folks out there, this pie works fabulously with your favourite GF pie crust, fear not; I've made it numerous times, so I speak from experience), muffins, cakes, pastries, scones, fruit salads, candy and caramel apples, parfaits, baked whole, and scores of other dishes, apples are the cheerful, satisfying taste of the season that helps to make saying good bye to summer and all of its own marvelous produce a whole lot easier to bear.
Add corn on the cob, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, squash, late season tomatoes and green beans, and other awesome autumn vegetables to the table and you've got a veritable feast of seasonable loveliness to indulge in. I swear, my stomach start rumbling at the mere thought. Good thing I've got plenty of September crop apples in the fridge! :)
