Question: I was wondering if you could obtain a recipe (like Musselman's) for making spiced crab apples. I would really appreciate it. -- Betty Rand, Webster, Wis.
Answer: Crab apples come from apple trees grown by many people for their ornamental value. But the incredibly handsome small trees blossom and produce small rosy red apples with a firm, extremely tart flesh.Although the crab apples are too sour for out-of-hand eating, the fruit translates deliciously into tart sauces, crab apple butter, desserts and jellies -- crab apple jelly jells easily because of the pectin in the fruit. Inspired cooks experiment with cooking crab apples, half and half, with raspberries or rhubarb.
Crab apples work well with any fruits that don't jell well on their own. The tiny beauties, domestically grown in the northern states, can be expensive, costing as much as $4 per pound. But they remain a consistently popular holiday choice and are often served one to a plate as a colorful garnish or with meats such as pork and poultry.
Spice crab apples whole in the fall, and put them up for year-round enjoyment. The recipe works best without substitutions. After all, you wouldn't substitute a tangerine for an orange. But then, on the other hand, you might substitute a tangerine for an orange if it was the only fruit at the grocery. So without access to crab apples, substitute small New Zealand Granny Smith apples (peeling and coring is optional) because they are firm and tart with a good balance of flavor.
The Michigan apple growers we polled favored the following recipe:
SPICED CRAB APPLES
4 quarts (about 6 pounds) crab apples
1 tablespoon whole cloves
3 cups apple cider vinegar
5 cups water
6-8 cups sugar (depending on individual taste)
2 tablespoons broken cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon whole allspice
3 drops red food coloring
Wash crab apples and remove blossom ends. Leave stems on. For appearance, stick 1-2 cloves into several of the crab apples. In a deep 6-quart kettle, combine cider vinegar, water and sugar and stir to blend.
In a cheesecloth bag, combine cinnamon sticks, whole allspice and remaining cloves. Tie to seal and add to liquid. Bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes. Add food coloring. Add crab apples, a few at a time. Simmer each batch of crab apples for 10 minutes, or until tender, and transfer to 4-5 hot sterilized pint jars. Strain syrup (discard spices), return to kettle and bring to boil.
Pour over crab apples, filling jars to within 1/2-inch of top. Meanwhile, have water heating in the canning kettle. Seal lids, place jars in canning kettle, and bring water to boil. When water boils, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from water bath. Cool. Store in a cool, dark place. Yields 4-5 pints crab apples.
Diane Howard is a columnist with Hunt House Syndicate. America a la Carte welcomes recipe requests. Send the complete address of the restaurant along with your name, address and phone number to: America a la Carte, PO Box 5994, Austin, Texas 78763-5994, or fax 512-453-2145. Email: (amercarte@aol.com).