Apple Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce

When I got the call for a recipe that featured northwest apples, I got busy with some of the most popular ingredients around; sweet Honey Crisp apples and salted caramel sauce! Since this recipe will publish in the fall issue of Take Root magazine, I thought I'd offer up something that would be appropriate for one of those chilly fall days.

Traditional bread pudding was the base for this one but I made some changes, like adding apples and using cinnamon bread. My friends tell me that the bread pudding was good but the caramel sauce put it over the top. I'm glad to have friends who are such willing taste testers! Anyway, here goes, enjoy!


Time: 2.5 hours (1 hour to soak bread, and cooking time)
Level: Easy
Yield: Serves 12

Fancy Apple Slaw

If you follow my Facebook or Twitter page, you might know that I picked up some apples from the farm to school  program and have been threatening to blog about them for some time. I do love the apples and the local program is blog-worthy by itself but this is a recipe blog so I'm stayng in my wheelhouse.

Unfortunately, the apple-a-day rule usually takes over and there are none left to incorporate into my recipes. This time I bought some fresh and made this to serve with a ladies lunch. Apple slaw is so easy and it takes very little time to prepare.  If you make coleslaw you probably noticed the absence of sugar. You wont need it, the apples and red pepper add all the sweetness you need. That pretty watermelon daikon added lots of color but was also peppery compliment to the slaw.

I hope you enjoy this one.


Time: 20 Minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Level: Easy

Cinnamon Apple Rings with Sweetened Ricotta

If you follow A Kitchen Takes Root on Facebook, you know that I got some Red Ape Cinnamon last week. I've had a cinnamon apple jones ever since!

Make these for brunch, breakfast or dessert. This time I served them as a light breakfast with an organic honey tangerine on the side. The ricotta topping and the yogurt "batter" add some protein to the meal. This time, I used graham cracker crumbs instead of nut flour, but they're great either way.

These are great baked (350 for about 7 minutes) -- but, unless you're cooking a lot of them, it's a waste of energy to heat the oven for so few minutes of cooking time. My solution is to use a skillet with a little oil, (as if you're making pancakes) cover it, and let the apples cook on a medium-low heat until they're tender-crisp.  You'll be surprised at how much these taste like an apple fritter! 

Yield: Serves 2
Level: Easy
Time: 20 minutes 

Amped Up Apple Gingerbread Upside Down Cake

This is the triple-threat of gingerbread! It uses candied, fresh and ground ginger to give the cake its full-bodied flavor. For a more traditional gingerbread taste, or if all three kinds aren't on hand, it can be made with ground ginger only, just double it.


Total Time: Approx 2 hours
Yield: 8-10 servings
Level: Average