Silvia Lehrer's Cooking Column

Fall is the one time of the year that you can bite with confidence into a fresh apple. With the Milk Pail in Water Mill selling orchard fresh apples grown for taste - not for storage - you will find a continuing variety of apples at farmers markets all over the East End. Many of the apples, of course, make wonderful eating raw, but tis' the season for crisps, apple puddings, apple sauce, and baked and candied apples - Halloween is coming.

Apple sauce is a no-brainer - nothing could be easier and quicker than fresh home made. Once, when my husband was asked if he ever cooked, he smiled shyly, held up his right hand and made a zero with his thumb and index finger. Well it isn't altogether true. He makes apple sauce in a pressure cooker we sort of inherited. He recently prepared it with a whole orange and it was the best he made. A quick and easy bread crust can simplify an apple tart. No cheating on preparing a crust here, it's simply a classic Venetian torte, and a puffy pancake is topped with the buttery sweetness of sliced Golden Delicious apples.

It is prime time for eating and cooking with apples. They are extremely versatile and nutritious, low in calories and high in everything else - iron, potassium, minerals and sugar content. Apples are best refrigerated so keep a healthy supply on hand.

FRED'S APPLE SAUCE
Fred's secret to his delicious apple sauce is to simply wash, core and quarter the apples, and cook with a whole peeled orange and seasoning. It is then pureed in a food mill to remove excess core, seeds and skin.
Yield: about 2 quarts

3 pounds McIntosh or mixed variety of apples
3 - 4 tablespoons water
1 whole juice orange, peeled
3-4 tablespoons sugar, depending on sweetness of apples
1 cinnamon stick or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Rinse apples well, core and cut into chunks. Place apple chunks in a heavy saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix. Bring to the edge of a boil, adjust heat and simmer with cover ajar, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes.
2. Transfer contents to a food mill over a bowl, using disk with medium holes or push through a strainer with a rubber spatula to puree. Refrigerate, covered, in a suitable container until ready to serve.

PS. Fred has another secret. He cooks his applesauce in a pressure cooker. After pressure reaches the required compressed steam the sauce is cooked for five minutes and no stirring. Proceed with step #2.

GOLDEN APPLE SAUCED PANCAKE
Blender prepared pancake sauced with glazed golden apples makes a showy dessert.
Serves 6 - 8

For the pancake
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup skim or whole milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour


For the topping
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Golden Delicious apples, pared, cored and sliced
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar
Creme fraiche, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

1. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch iron or oven-proof skillet. Blend eggs in a food processor or blender and add milk while machine is running. Slowly add flour and blend about 30 seconds. Pour the mixture into the hot melted butter and rotate pan to spread batter to the edges of the pan. Put the skillet in the preheated oven and bake 20-25 minutes until puffy and golden brown.

2. Meanwhile melt 3 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch skillet. When foam subsides put in the apple slices and almonds. Season with sugar and cinnamon and saute slowly over medium-low heat until apples are glazed and tender. Keep warm.

3. Cut the pancake into equal wedges and place on serving dishes. Spoon equal amounts of apple mixture over the pancake wedges and sprinkle on powdered sugar. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche, if desired.

TORTA DI MELE E PANE
The Venetian recipe for apple and bread pie is for cooks who may be intimidated by or would prefer not to spend the time preparing a pie crust.
Serves 6

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 slices white bread, crust removed
5 large red ripe apples such as McIntosh
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons dark rum

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 10-inch Pyrex pie plate

1. Allow 3 tablespoons butter to soften slightly and lightly butter bread slices on both sides. Line the pie plate with half the bread slightly overlapping and pressing them down with fingertips.

2. Peel and core the apples and slice them very thin. Or, in the work bowl of a food processor with thin slicing blade in place, place apple halves in feed tube and process with light pressure to slice. This procedure should take less than a minute.

3. Place half the apple slices over the bread and spread one-half the marmalade over the apples then sprinkle with half the sugar. Repeat with layer of buttered bread, apples, marmalade and sugar. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top, then pour over the rum. Dot the torte with butter and bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until crisp and hot.

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