SELAH, WA--(Marketwire - Sep 27, 2012) - The cooler weather and shorter days make many of us want to hunker down in the warmth of our homes and prepare comfort foods for ourselves and our families. Tree Top has prepared a menu of classic fall foods and unique treats, including butternut squash apple soup, apple cranberry stuffed pork roast, apple butter and hot apple toddy. Enjoy!
Butternut Squash Apple Soup
Nothing says fall better than a batch of soup on the stove top, bubbling away and emitting smells that prompt your neighbors to stop by. This butternut squash apple soup recipe has vibrant colors and is sure to help you fight the fall chill.
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped (squash and apple should be at a 3 to 1 ratio)
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup Tree Top Apple Juice or Tree Top Reduced Sugar Apple 100% Juice (no artificial sweeteners)
Pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper
Chives or parsley to garnish
Directions
Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat and heat the butter for 1 - 2 minutes. Do not let it turn brown. Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes, taking care to turn the heat down if the vegetables begin to brown.
Add squash, apple, broth and apple juice. Bring to boil. Cover, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until squash and carts soften. Purée and return to a clean pot.
Add salt and spices to taste, and garnish with chives or parsley.
Apple Cranberry Stuffed Pork Roast
Just the aroma of pork roasting in the oven evokes a cozy and relaxed feeling. Add in the delicious apple and cranberry flavors, and you've got a main course sure to welcome fall with a bang.
Ingredients
Filling
1 cup Tree Top Apple Cider
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large shallot, peeled, thinly slice
1 1/2 cups dried apples (packed)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pork Roast
2 1/2 pound boneless center-cut pork loin roast (short and wide, about 7 - 8 inches long and 4 - 5 inches wide)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Bring all of the filling ingredients to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the liquid. Use a rubber spatula to press against the apple mixture in the sieve to extract as much liquid out as possible.
Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and reserve this liquid for use as a glaze. Pulse apple mixture in food processor, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Double-butterfly the roast. For directions, see How to Double Butterfly a Roast.
Season the inside of the roast well with salt and pepper. Spread the filling on the roast, leaving a 1/2-inch border from the edges. Starting with the short side of the roast, roll it up very tightly. Secure with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Season the outside of the roast generously with salt and pepper.
Place roast in a roasting pan in oven on the middle of the rack. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes until the internal temperature of the roast is 130° - 135°. Brush with half of the glaze and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove the roast from the oven, place it on a cutting board. Tent it with foil to rest and keep warm for 15 minutes before slicing.
Slice into 1/2-inch wide pieces, removing the cooking twice as you cut. Serve with remaining glaze.
Apple Butter
Apple butter is a smoother, thicker and sweeter version of apple sauce, and provides the ultimate fall spread. There are many uses that span deliciously through all three daily meals, and provide the perfect accompaniment for toast and pancakes, as a pork glaze, on a turkey sandwich, or as frosting on a spice cake.
Ingredients
4 pounds of good cooking apples (Granny Smith or Gravenstein)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups Tree Top Apple Juice or Tree Top Reduced Sugar Apple 100% Juice
Sugar (about 4 cups)
Salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
Directions
Cut apples into quarters, without peeling or coring; cut out damaged parts.
Place them in large pot, add vinegar and apple juice; cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cook until apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Ladle apple mixture into sieve and force pulp into large bowl below. Measure resulting puree. Add 1/2 cup sugar for each cup of apple pulp. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add a dash of salt, and the cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, lemon rind and juice.
Cook uncovered in a large, wide, thick-bottomed pot on medium low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Scrape the bottom of the pot while you stir to make sure a crust does not form on bottom. Cook until thick and smooth (about 1 to 2 hours).
To sterilize, rinse jars and dry them. Place them, without lids, in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes. Place lids in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Wipe the rims of the jars clean before applying the lids.
Pour mixture into hot, sterilized jars and seal.
Hot Apple Toddy
Sit down on a fall evening with this wonderfully warm drink, which is a taste infusion of hot apple cider, honey and lemon.
Ingredients
Honey
2 ounces whiskey
1 teaspoon sugar
Tree Top Apple Cider
Lemon wedge, cinnamon stick and cloves for garnish
Directions
Coat the bottom of an Irish coffee glass with honey. Add the whiskey.
Fill with hot apple cider, stir well. Garnish with lemon, cinnamon stick and cloves.
For more information about the Tree Top and for additional recipes, visit www.treetop.com.
About Tree Top
Since 1960, Tree Top has provided premium, quality juices, fruit based products and ingredients to consumers and most of the world's leading manufacturers. The grower-owned cooperative operates eight processing facilities in the heart of Washington's apple country, Oregon and California close to the growers' farms. With more than 1,100 growers, the co-op creates the widest array of fruit-based products and ingredients available on the market. Tree Top's passion and attention to quality and craftsmanship makes it the first choice for customers. For more information, visit www.treetop.com.
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Katie Schoen
503.546.7877
katie@lanepr.com