While apples are great year-round, the sweet fruit takes center stage in the lineup of fall produce. Ranging in flavor from tooth-achingly sweet to bright and acidic, apples are an extraordinarily versatile ingredient to use in apple recipes both sweet and savory.
On the savory side, slice them up and use them to add crunch to salads, or use their acidity to offset fattier cuts of meat like pork belly in casseroles and braises. We especially love apples in our fall take on macaroni and cheese and in our honey-glazed pork dish.
Meanwhile, for a sweeter take on the fruit, enjoy our favorite takes on apple pie (including an apple pie ice cream pie that is as amazing as it sounds) or an apple crumble with hot custard. From sweet to savory, here are our best apple recipes to try this fall.
Calvados, an apple brandy made from double-distilled apple cider aged in oak barrels, is generally made from highly tannic apples. Guillouet-Huard likes to use it to underscore the flavor of sweet cooking apples. Get the recipe for Baked Apple Terrine with Calvados »
Normans use apples and cider in many savory preparations—with game, poultry, even fish. In this classic pork dish from Jean-François Guillouet-Huard, of Domaine Michel Huard, it’s important to use a slightly tart variety so the end result isn’t too sweet. Get the recipe for Honey Glazed Roast Pork with Apples »
This simple salad is lighter and more modern compared to traditionally heavy Norman dishes. It pairs crisp celery root—a vegetable grown in abundance in the region—with raw apples. Get the recipe for Apple, Celeriac, and Carrot Salad »
Tart apple and cold avocado balance hot, crisp walnut dumplings and creamy chive sauce in this refreshing vegan dish from chef Josita Hartanto of Berlin’s Lucky Leek. You can make the walnut dumplings a day ahead, but make sure to prepare the tartare within two hours of serving, so the apples and avocados don’t brown. Get the recipe for Avocado and Apple “Tartare” with Fried Walnut Dumplings and Chive Cream »
The skin on this slow-roasted pork belly gets peeled off and fried into cracklings, allowing the fat underneath to render and caramelize. Whatever vegetables are in season—this time of year, it’s carrots, turnips, and leeks—pair well with the meat, which is served with a cider-spiked applesauce and best enjoyed with a bitter ale, one of the many beers you can drink with it at the Black Bull Inn and Hotel in Coniston. Get the recipe for Crisp Pork Belly with Roasted Vegetables and Applesauce »
