World Chefs: Author details her love affair with apples
The result is “The Apple Lover’s Cookbook,” a 300-page near-encyclopedia about the fruit that surely holds a special place in the American psyche.”It was hard to let go of the book. There was so much to discover,” said Traverso, who is based in Brookline, Massachusetts — within striking distance of many of New England’s best apple orchards.Geared to the home cook, the book contains 100 recipes, from appetizers and sandwiches through meat dishes to familiar pies and cobblers.”I found that apples were well suited to so many types of dishes, more than I imagined,” Traverso said. “Apples are the most accessible food for many people, and there are so many varieties that are unique to a particular place.”The book delves into the history of apples in the United States, from the seeds and cuttings brought by the Jamestown, Virginia, settlers to the New World in the early 1600s. Adaptability and versatility meant apples became a staple for Pilgrims in New England and settlers as they moved west and south.”They performed so many roles in early American cooking and were spread by the government,” Traverso explained. “When people took land, they promised to stay until the apple trees grew,” helping to build a stable society.Traverso profiles 59 varieties of apple, from familiar grocery store favorites to exotic offerings like Arkansas Black and Westfield Seek-No-Further. The apples are cataloged into four subgroups (tender-tart, firm-tart, tender-sweet and firm-sweet), and Traverso suggests the best usage and ideal taste for each variety.Traverso developed her recipes through various sources. One favorite is the crisp inspired by a 1947 magazine article originally clipped by her grandmother. The dessert, with its cakey, biscuity topping, was “absolutely the flavor of my childhood,” she said.Other dishes came from further afield, including a pork and apple pie inspired by a dish eaten in Cornwall, England — “sweet, savory and incredible.”Salads with apples are well known, but developing a brisket with apples and hard cider recipe surprised the author, as did apple risotto.Recent decades have seen rising interest in breeding and the release of new varieties, as well as a renewed appreciation of heirloom apples. At one point, said Traverso, almost every town in Maine had its own apple variety.Breeding has brought on apples such as the Honeycrisp, developed at the University of Minnesota in the 1960s and released commercially in 1991. Tasting notes suggest the firm-sweet fruit is “incredibly crisp, and so juicy that it seems nearly effervescent.”“Growers have figured out what the modern palate wants from apples, and have a tool to deliver it,” said Traverso.The rarest apple profiled is the Pink Pearl, developed in Humboldt County in Northern California in the 1940s, tasting of raspberries and with distinctive pink flesh. And the best eating apple, Traverso said, may be Cox’s Orange Pippin, beloved in Britain but now showing up at farmers’ markets in the United States.Traverso appreciates the rarest of apples but says she is no snob.”There are definitely times in my life when I eat sliced apples from McDonalds,” she said.Grandma’s Apple Crisp (makes 8 servingsFor the filling5 large tender-tart apples (about 2 1/2 pounds total); peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch thick rings or slices5 large firm-sweet apples (about 2 1/2 pounds total); peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings or slicesFor the topping2 cups (290g) all-purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt1 cup (210g) granulated sugar2 large eggs, lightly beaten8 tablespoons (1 stick; 120g) salted butter, melted and cooled2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1. Preheat the oven to 350F, and set a rack to the middle position. Arrange the sliced apples in an even layer in an 9 X 13 inch baking dish (no need to grease it); set aside.2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the eggs and, using a fork or a pastry cutter, work in until crumbly. The mixture will look like streusel, with a mix of wet and dry bits. Have no fear; the eggs will provide enough liquid.3. Spread the topping evenly over the apples, then drizzle all over with the melted butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon and bake until the topping is golden brown and apple juices are bubbling, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes, then serve warm from the pan.
Austria ready to help banks if needed-finmin
It welcomed Volksbanken’s idea of forming a mutual
liability pool with regional banks that are its majority
owners, an approach modeled on Dutch lender Rabobank.Austria “will in any event use all options within the
framework of its legal and contractual opportunities to make
possible and if appropriate even bring about quick solutions,”
it said in a statement.It noted that it still had firepower it could use under the
financial market stability law that would let it recapitalise
banks, for example by providing guarantees.The law earmarked 15 billion euros ($20.56 billion) for
such measures, of which around 6 billion remains available, it
said.
PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - Oct 13
FINANCIAL NEWS:THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM— Hoa Phat Group said its September steel sales
jumped 45.2 percent from a year before to 51,900 tonnes, raising
the total volume in the January-September period to 483,947
tonnes.— The State Securities Commission has said Hanoi Building
Bank can convert convertible bonds worth 960 billion
dong ($46 million) into common shares.VIETNAM NEWS— The 16 largest banks have signed an agreement to keep
their deposit interest rates under the 14 percent ceiling for
one-month terms and 6 percent for non-term rates.— Facing difficulties in accessing bank loans at reasonable
rates, many businesses are seeking to raise funds via issuing
bonds.ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS:LAO DONG— State oil and gas group Petrovietnam is expected to buy
all ConocoPhillips’ assets in Vietnamese projects with a
total value of $1.5 billion, General Director Do Van Hau said.— The Vietnam National Shipping Lines has signed a 51-49
venture deal to build the $1 billion Hai Phong International
Port with Japanese firm Molnykit Corp. Construction under the
public private partnership model will begin next August.TUOI TRE— Mekong Delta floods have damaged 6,400 hectares, less
than 1 percent of the total area of the third rice crop, so
planting of the crop has been a success, Prime Minister Nguyen
Tan Dung said during a tour to the flood-hit region.— Police sources said they have detained a former deputy
head of VietinBank’s Nha Be branch in Ho Chi Minh City
on accusations of fraud, the second person at the bank in
detention. The two are alleged to have used false documents to
take around 5 trillion dong ($293 million) from stock brokerages
and individuals.THANH NIEN— National carrier Vietnam Airlines has taken delivery of
the first jet fuel from Dung Quat refinery under a 5,000-tonne
order to be implemented between now and the year end. The
refinery is scheduled to turn out 400,000 cubic metres of jet
fuel this year, meeting half of domestic demand.
