Food For Thought
With more than 6,000 varieties, apples have been around since ancient times.
There is the famous apple tree in the Garden of Eden, and there is evidence of sun-dried apples having been eaten during the Stone Age.
Greek and Roman mythology refers to apples as a symbol for love and beauty (they were used during marriage ceremonies and courtships, hence the saying the apple of my eye).
In the 1800s, John Chapman became well- known for planting apple trees in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and beyond, earning him the name Johnny Appleseed.
The famous saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away stemmed from an old English saying "Ate an apfel avore gwain to bed, makes the doctor beg his bread." (Ate an apple before going to bed makes the doctor beg his bread).
Apples contain a host of nutrients and other healthy compounds that make them an incredibly healthy treat, such as powerful antioxidants, including quercetin, catechin, phloridzin, and chlorogenic acid.
They protect against colon and breast cancers, prevent kidney stones, fight inflammation and help lower cholesterol, while raising the good kind. Pectin from an apple is a soluble dietary fibre that is good for cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as well as promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.
It contains a lot of Vitamin C and Vitamin K.
Viennese Apple Strudel
Yield: two - 36-inch long Strudel
Dough
70 grams egg whites
900 ml cold water
1.8 kg bread flour
70 g vegetable oil
30 g salt
85 g sugar
Filling
10 lbs Granny Smith apples peeled cored, sliced
1 cup five per cent cinnamon and 95 per cent sugar, mixed
zest and juice from six lemons and six oranges
1 cup dark rum
4 cups raisins or sun-dried cranberries, soaked in the rum
3 cups pecans
Mix all the above together and marinate overnight.
3 cups toasted cake crumbs
1 lb melted butter
Method
Dough: Mix all the ingredients except the flour together. Add the flour slowly to form smooth dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest overnight.
Cut dough in half and with a rolling pin and a little flour, roll out the dough. After you achieve a large circle, put the dough on a table cloth and begin to stretch it on the backs of your hands.
It works better with two people. Continue to stretch it until its paper thin. Brush with the melted butter, take half of the apple mixture and spread it over the dough.
Lightly sprinkle on half of the cake crumbs and sugar mixture. Starting from one end using the table cloth to pull the dough so it rolls up like a roll of paper, every so often brush the surface with butter. Brush top with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Put on a full size cookie sheet with parchment paper in the shape of a horseshoe. Bake at 180 C or 350 F for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, allow 15 minutes to set and serve warm with hot vanilla sauce.
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This week's column is written by chef Ron Christian, who has been a chef for 30 years. He is a CNC professional cook instructor, who has also taught at BCIT, Vancouver Community College and has worked all over the world. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail [email protected].
