Freeform galettes are one of the easiest types of tarts you can make because the dough is extremely forgiving and the shape can be rustic. Once the dough is rolled out (you can also use shop-bought shortcrust if you like), scatter over grated Cheddar then arrange finely sliced apples mixed with ground cloves and dark brown sugar on top. This'll taste even better if it's cooked the day before eating and refrigerated overnight. Just warm through to serve.
In addition to the sweet, salty sauce, soft, caramelised apples and sugary, golden puff pastry top, one of the best things about this easy apple pie is there are just 10 minutes of prep required. Then it's into the oven for half an hour. Serve with lashing of cream and scoops of ice cream.
Take a cheese and ham toastie to the next level by using mature Cheddar, Parma Ham and, the secret ingredient, grated apple. It cuts through the richness and lifts the flavour and texture of this grilled cheese. Tomato chutney and spinach leaves complete the filling.
An easy, zingy salad, just perfect any time you need a side dish to lighten up a meal. The food processor makes easy work of grating the apple and carrot, although use a box grater if needs be. Dress the fruit and veg simply with a bright lemon juice, salt, sugar and oil mixture, and stir through chopped spring onions and toasted walnuts for added crunch.
This dessert for one, ready in 10 minutes, will satisfying any sweet cravings. Chopped apple, cinnamon and brown sugar are softened together in the microwave, then topped and microwaved again with a simple butter, sugar, flour and pecan crumble mix. Grab a spoon and dig in.
This is a speedy one-pot dish where apple is combined with sage and dark greens, such as savoy cabbage or kale, to add natural sweetness. You can replace the chestnuts with walnuts or hazelnuts, if you prefer. It has a light sauce of tomato, stock and yeast extract to add a wonderfully savoury taste. Serve with wholegrain rice for a super-healthy supper.
Get the recipe for chicken thighs with red onion, apple and chestnuts here
Two grated eating apples are added to this simple sponge mixture to keep it wonderfully moist. The cake is sandwiched with whipped cream swirled with lemon curd. It's easy enough for the most novice baker, and it will quickly become a firm favourite.
Get the recipe for apple and lemon sandwich cake here
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A sweet and tangy one-pan dish which is on the table in 40 minutes. The apples are cooked with shredded red cabbage and onions, laced with red wine vinegar and maple syrup. You can use any sausage you prefer, but a chunky pork sausage with herbs would work perfectly.
Get the recipe for quick braised red cabbage, sausages and apples here
A tourte is a French buttery cake, usually served warm with cream, though you can eat it cold too. Sliced apples are mixed with raisins, cinnamon and walnuts to make a fragrant, easy bake. It's best eaten on the day it's made but if you want to prep the day before serving, wrap it well in clingfilm once baked and cooled.
This simple 10-minute salad is light and refreshing, a perfect side to grilled fish or meat. Tenderstem broccoli is combined with sliced apples, crunchy nuts and watercress, then dressed with yogurt and creamed horseradish sauce.
Get the recipe for broccoli, apple and toasted hazelnut salad here
There's no need to add sugar to this pancake batter as grated eating apples add sufficient sweetness. The recipe calls for almond milk but you can happily use cows' milk, if you prefer. Dust with icing sugar to serve, or better still, add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
This warming soup keeps for up to three days in the fridge and it freezes well too. The lentils make it extra filling, perfect for lunch or a light dinner. A little chilli and cumin add warmth, coconut milk makes it rich and creamy, and the cooking apples give a tart, sweet note.
Get the recipe for spiced carrot, apple and lentil soup here
Layers of cooked ham, grated cheese and thin slices of cooking apples are covered with a rich creamy béchamel sauce, then baked in puff pastry until piping hot. The cheese melts into the apple to give a sweet and savoury taste. It would make for a perfect weekend lunch. A crunchy green salad would be the ideal accompaniment.
The icing on top of this moist fruity cake is actually a vanilla syrup which is drizzled over once baked. It's quick to prepare, around 10 minutes, and would make a lovely dessert cake to serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Apples and plums are a great combination, and they come into season at around the same time of year.
This may sound like an unusual combination of ingredients, but they complement each other perfectly. Slices of crisp apple and pears are mixed with beetroot, salad leaves, walnuts and feta, to give a sweet, salty, earthy taste. Dressed with a walnut oil vinaigrette, this would be a great starter or light lunch.
Mini pies of shortcrust pastry are filled with cooking apples, spiked with ground ginger and mixed with a caramel sauce (which you can buy). If ginger isn't your thing, use ground cinnamon or nutmeg instead. Serve with a scoop of vanilla custard or dollop of clotted cream.
These little Swedish breads are perfect served warm with a generous spread of butter. Spelt is an old variety of wheat, but if you can't find it, use wholemeal flour instead. They take a little time, with proving and rising, but are worth the effort. Cubes of apple and cheese just melt into the bread dough as it's baking, for a lovely sweet and savoury note.
This apple and caramel tart must be one of the greatest French culinary exports. Eating apples are cooked in a buttery caramel before being covered in puff pastry and baked in the oven. You then flip it over to serve warm with crème fraîche. You need a firm apple which won't collapse on cooking, so a Granny Smith would be perfect for this recipe.
Yogurt, ginger, garlic, chilli and spices make a delicious marinade for chunks of chicken breast, which creates a pleasing crust when grilled. It's served with spiced, cooked spinach and tomatoes, and a punchy chutney made from apples whizzed up with chilli, peas, lime and coriander. You could use the chutney with any grilled fish or meat.
Get the recipe for chicken skewers with apple and pea chutney here
Baked apples are one of the easiest desserts to make. You need cooking apples so they soften down to a purée while being baked in the oven. You can vary the filling according to your preference – it's usually a mixture of butter, sugar, dried fruits and spices which are stuffed in the apple. Our recipe uses a mix of dates, honey, oatcakes and spices.
You may need to make more of these than you need, as they are so moreish! Simple to make, mix grated potato and apple with crème fraîche, grated cheese, cooked ham, mustard and an egg yolk to bind the potato cakes. Then just fry off until crisp and golden before serving with salad leaves.
Chunks of cooking apples and raspberries (you can use frozen) are mixed together as a filling for these tartlets. Topped with an almond and cinnamon crumble topping, they're best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Get the recipe for apple, raspberry and almond crumble tarts here
Here's a really quick bread – no yeast or kneading required. In fact, the less you handle it, the lighter it will be. It's ready to serve in just 35 minutes. The simple buttery dough is baked with soft blue cheese and grated apple. Serve warm with butter and a bowl of soup.
A skillet pie is simply a pie with no pastry on the base. You cook it in a skillet or oven-proof frying pan, or any dish you can put on the hob then transfer to the oven. It's just a different take on a classic apple pie. Our skillet pie recipe uses plums, cinnamon and vanilla with the apples to make it intensely fruity and juicy.
For a quesadilla with a difference, try this idea. Strips of cooked turkey are marinated in spices, then layered between two tortillas with sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, slices of apple, grated cheese, crème fraîche and spring onions. It's fried to heat through and melt the cheese. Serve with homemade guacamole and an extra bowl of peppered sour cream.
One of everyone's favourite comfort foods, a warming plum and apple crumble with a crisp topping just needs some custard or vanilla ice cream. Our fruit filling also contains orange zest and cinnamon. We would recommend making the crumble topping by hand. It's very simple and if you put it in a food processor, it becomes too fine and lacks that welcome crunch from the oats and sugar.
Minced lamb is mixed with grated apple, spices, lemon and breadcrumbs to make these spicy meatballs. And they're cooked in a tasty sauce with olives, ginger, saffron, onion and tomato. You can make this ahead of time, then just reheat fully to serve with cous cous or rice.
When cooking apples are plentiful, it's worth making a batch of apple pickle or chutney to have in the cupboard. Serve with cheese, cold meats or pâtés, or give as an edible gift. You need to pack it into sterilised jars, which you can do by filling them with boiling water. Our pickle is aromatic and spicy with apples, dates and sultanas. Store it for a few weeks before eating.
If you have some time on your hands and are looking for a real show-stopper of a dessert, here it is. The apple roses are made from softened, thin slices of apple which are rolled up to create the rose shape. They're set into a tart tin lined with pastry and topped with almond frangipane.
The black cherry component of this recipe is a few tablespoons of black cherry jam, though a good handful of dried cherries would be perfect too. Red cabbage, apples, shallots, and clementine zest and juice are cooked along with fragrant mulled wine spices – cloves, cinnamon and mixed spice. Wine vinegar adds the sweet and sour note.
Get the recipe for black cherry, mulled cabbage and apple here
This is more of a dessert cake than one for afternoon tea. Sultanas are soaked in warm cider and the apples are tossed with a little brandy. They're stirred through an easy cake batter with cinnamon and a little more cider. This bake would be perfect with clotted or whipped cream.
The beetroot may be the surprise ingredient here, but together with the grated apple it makes these muffins really moist. They're finished with a crunchy hazelnut topping, a bit like a crumble topping. The addition of mixed spice will make your kitchen smell heavenly!
Smoked mackerel is quite rich and oily, so it needs sharp, punchy flavours that cut through to accompany it. This simple slaw combines shredded white cabbage and apple, tossed together in a mustardy yogurt mayonnaise. It would be a great partner to salmon or smoked trout too.
Get the recipe for warm smoked mackerel with apple coleslaw here
Apples and cinnamon are such a perfect combination, brought to the fore in this French-style apple tart. An apple compote, made from cooking apples, butter, sugar and cinnamon, is piled into a pastry case. Thinly sliced eating apples are neatly arranged over the top, finished with a honey and cinnamon glaze. It's best served warm with cream.
When you need a warm, comforting dessert which is easy to prepare, look no further than this. A tin is lined with slices of shop-bought brioche and topped with a frangipane mixture made from almonds, eggs, butter, sugar and flour. It's then covered with slices of apple before baking. When the pudding is ready, it's glazed with apricot jam and served warm with ice cream or cream.