Apple surprise!

Hello Friends,
Now that October is here it is no doubt Fall and with the Fall season we think about Apples. I think about my Apple i-phone and Apple i-pad all the time, but the fresh fruit is in season now, so my thoughts are on fresh Apples.

An Apple & Apple i-pad

The old saying,"An apple a day keeps the doctor away," always come to mind, but I had never thought about why until I looked into it. Here are a few benefits to apples:

Weight Loss
Diabetes Management
Helps lower Cholesterol
Alzheimer's Prevention
Asthma Help
Bone Protection

I love the smell of fresh apples, and even more the smell of apples baking in the oven. I started my creative herbal juices and came out with an unusual recipe that I made and shared with friends, that I have have nice comments on so I will share it with everyone here.

An Apple, Apple i-pad and Cinnamon Basil

The recipe I came up with uses Granny Smith Apples, Figs, Hibicus Flowers and Cinnamon Basil.

Apple Fig Tart

For the tart crust blend the following:

4 cups of unbleached whole wheat flour(I prefer King Arthur), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2/3 cup softened unsalted butter, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 cups ice water.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Blend in the butter with large spoon or your hands until a dough consistency. Add the ice water and form the dough into a large ball. Divide into small balls and sprinkle some flour on your kitchen counter. Roll each small ball with a rolling pin to about 1/16 inch thick circles.

Set aside whole making the filling.

For the filling blend the following:

1 cup of figs, mashed, 1/2 stick of butter, 1 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 8 Granny Smith Apples, skinned and seeded, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 teaspon nutmeg, 2 drops of almond extract, 1/4 cup of Hibiscus Flower Syrup. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the figs and half of the apples, diced. Add the other ingredients and simmer for about 15- 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the Hibiscus Syrup

In a small saucepan, blend a cup of water, simmer, add 1/2 cup hibiscus flowers and 1 cup sugar. Continue to simmer until the sugar is dissolved and well blended. Use a strainer to strain out the hibicus flowers, and set aside in a bowl for the filling.

In eight small tart pans, lay the dough, and press down, with the pans well greased or buttered.

In a food processor, blend 1 cup fresh cinnamon basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry, with 1/2 cup of sugar. Then in a small saucepan use 1/2 stick of butter melted and add the basil sugar and simmer for a couple of minutes. Set aside.

Fill your tart pans with the apples that you have not used in the filling. Then add the filling on top. Now add another dough layer on top, and press around the edges. Using a pastry brush, brush the cinnamon basil butter blend on top of the top crust.

Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees, and bake the tarts for about 45 minutes or until browned around the edges. Let cool for about 15 minutes, and take out of pans. Serve with a sprig of cinnamon basil. I hope everyone is off to a wonderful Fall. Herbs, Health and Happiness, Bill Varney

Apple Tart with Figs, Hibiscus Flower Syrup and Cinnamon Basil