flipDried Apples from the Cellar
Dried Apples from the Cellar
Why this dish? On the Indiana and Illinois frontier where Lincoln grew up, drying apples was the way to preserve the orchard through the heart of winter. An apple lover all his life, Lincoln knew as a child these dried rings that were nibbled or rehydrated into compote.
Apple rings threaded and dried until supple and sugar-concentrated. A long-keeping snack, or the base of a winter compote once rehydrated.
Nothing is wasted on a well-run farm. At the end of autumn, we peel the apples, cut them into rings, and thread them on a string near the hearth, where they dry slowly for days. When winter comes and the orchard sleeps under snow, we nibble a handful or plump them in hot water for a sweet compote. It's summer brought back to the plate in the coldest January.
- •Ripe firm apples — as many as you have (fruit to preserve)
Dried Apples from the Cellar
Apple rings threaded and dried until supple and sugar-concentrated. A long-keeping snack, or the base of a winter compote once rehydrated.
Why this dish? On the Indiana and Illinois frontier where Lincoln grew up, drying apples was the way to preserve the orchard through the heart of winter. An apple lover all his life, Lincoln knew as a child these dried rings that were nibbled or rehydrated into compote.
Nothing is wasted on a well-run farm. At the end of autumn, we peel the apples, cut them into rings, and thread them on a string near the hearth, where they dry slowly for days. When winter comes and the orchard sleeps under snow, we nibble a handful or plump them in hot water for a sweet compote. It's summer brought back to the plate in the coldest January.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe firm apples — as many as you have (fruit to preserve)
Ingredients
- Firm apples (Boskoop, Reinette) — 6 (fruit to dry)
- Lemon juice — 1 (diluted in a bowl of water) (prevent browning)
- Cinnamon — a pinch (optional) (flavoring)
Method
- Peel (optional) and core apples, then cut into even 5 mm rings.
- Briefly dip in lemon water to keep them light.
- Arrange on a drying rack without touching.
- Dry in oven at 60-70°C, door ajar, for 4 to 6 hours, turning halfway, until supple and not sticky.
- Store in an airtight jar. For compote, rehydrate in hot water for 20 min with a pinch of cinnamon.
How it was made : Before canning and industrial refrigeration, drying near the hearth or in the sun was the main way to preserve fruit. Rings were threaded on strings hung from beams; dried apples traveled well and were a staple in every pioneer family's winter provisions.
The contemporary twist : Lightly dust with cinnamon before drying to make homemade apple chips, served as a 'presidential snack'.
Sources : Rae Katherine Eighmey, Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen, Smithsonian Books, 2014
Abraham Lincoln · Charactorium
