Thursday, September 26, 2013

Pickled Apples

This month the Creative Cooking Crew was creating...  pickles!



Embracing the cooler weather, I tried something a little different and tried pickling apples.  Since cheese goes as well with apples as peanut butter, I made some cheddar cheese crisps to act as a 'chip' for a salsa made from tangy pickled apples, crunchy walnuts, and fresh parsley.

Perfect for an upscale football snack or fun party appetizer :)




Cheddar Crisps with Pickled Apples

For the apples:
1/2c + 2T water
8T rice vinegar
3/4t kosher salt
1-2t local honey
2 sm-med apples
1t coriander seeds
1/4t black peppercorns

For the cheddar crisps:
cheddar cheese (I used an aged goat cheddar), finely grated
few stems of parsley, chopped
1-2T chopped walnuts

Heat water, vinegar, salt and honey in a small pot until honey dissolves.  Take off the heat, cover and let steep while you prepare the apples.

Julienne the apples and stuff into a jar (my apples may have been a bit large and filled a 16 and 8oz ball jar).  Add coriander and pepper to the jar, and then pour the brine over the apples.  Refrigerate at least 1 day before using.

Set aside some of the pickled apples to drain while you prepare the cheddar crisps.  Preheat the oven to 325deg and line a cookie sheet or baking stone with parchment paper.  Using ~2T of cheese, form circles on the parchment paper about 1" apart.  Bake for 10-12 min, until slightly browned.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Once the cheese crisps are completely cool, transfer to a serving plate and top with the drained pickled apples and a bit of the chopped parsley and walnuts.




I imagine the pickled apple/walnuts/parsley combo would also go well on top of some baked brie.  Or tuck some pickled apples into a grilled cheese with sharp cheddar and black forest ham!

Who else has ideas on how to use the rest of my pickled apples?

Check out Foodalogue next week for more inspiration to get your pickle on!

17 comments:

Joanne said...

Pickled apples and cheese definitely sound good to me! Maybe a kind of out there pickled apple pie could be kinda cool too...

Erica said...

YUM! I love pickled fruits and vegetables (although I've never tried apples). I bet the pairing with cheese is amazing

Deana Sidney said...

This is definitely one of those "why didn't I think of that" ideas. Brilliant combination of tang and cheese.

Cathleen said...

Pickled apples? I'm intrigued! The only pickled thing I have ever tried was...pickles :p.

Evelyne CulturEatz said...

Great choice and love the pickled apple. Great presentation and curious about those cheese crisps.

Delicious Dishings said...

Those look so good! I might need o try pickling some of my apples. I'm definitely on board with the pickled apples on grilled cheese idea.

Lori Lynn said...

Wow Shannon - great combination of ingredients. They would definitely be a party hit! YAY for fruit pickles!
LL

Joan Nova said...

I love the idea of pickled apples -- would be good with a pork roast too, no? I will definitely try it.

Victoria said...

What a fun creation, and so versatile! I can see pickled apples in many different dishes :)

LaDivaCucina said...

I like exactly what you did with the pickled apples! I bet with the cheese cooked crispy instead of just plain, really added to the texture and taste. I think the pickled apples would go great in chicken salad!

http://platanosmangoes.com said...

This is a great idea and beautifully presented.

Unknown said...

My pickled idea: Pickled apples on pork tenderloin! Nicely done.

Erica said...

This sounds delicious! Wonderful combination of flavors and textures! Great dish!

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

Oh wow I've never tried pickled apples before but I bet I would like it, especially with the cheese crisp!

Amy (Savory Moments) said...

These sounds great! I've been pickling all kinds of stuff lately, but haven't done apples (yet)!

Hannah said...

Oh, pickled apples? Now that's a new one to me! Before you know it, I'll have pickled everything in the kitchen at this rate. ;) I can imagine what a delightfully sweet and salty contrast those apples would create.

Erica said...

I love pickled veggies and fruits! I've never tried apples :)

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