My friend Jeremy, an excellent cook and compost expert, is back to tell us about a fantastic new chef's snack to make the most of Thanksgiving prep. We made them last night, and...well, it's a good thing I snapped a picture immediately. They're gone.
You'll make these once and never think of peeling an apple the same way again. Seriously.
Thanksgiving is upon us -- Hanukkah, too! -- and if you haven't already done so, there's a good chance that "make apple sauce" is on your to-do list for between now and Thursday. Trust me. When you make that apple sauce, you're going to want to make these dead-simple little treats, too.
Ingredients:
apple skins (any variety) spice of your choice
Steps:
Cover a baking sheet with foil. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Make sure your apples are washed and dried.
When you peel your sauce apples, move the peeler from the stem to bottom of the fruit. Press a little harder than you ordinarily might, so as to capture a little bit of the apple's meat along with the skin. You should end up with strips of apple 3/4"-1" wide and 3-4" long, depending what apples you're using.
Lay the skins on the sheet, skin side down, in one layer, with at least a little separation between skins. Leave as is, or sprinkle lightly with whatever spices you like: my kids love cinnamon, my wife and I love cayenne. Experiment!
That's it. Stick 'em in the oven, and check in on them in a half hour so. The skins should be starting to curl up into little straws. Pull them out when they've curled enough to feel rigid, but haven't yet started to brown, usually 40-45 minutes total. Take note: they won't be crispy yet. Use your fingers to gently knock the skins off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack. They'll crisp up almost immediately as they start to cool, and be ready to eat in just a few minutes!
There are a bunch of reasons I love these things, beyond the fact that they're delicious. For starters, they're super easy. They come out perfectly crispy every single time, and the crunch you get when you bite into it is extraordinarily satisfying. They're 100 percent good for you. And maybe my favorite part? They reduce waste and create food in one yummy little package!
I'm a sustainability entrepreneur (shameless self promotion: Compost Cab), and I can't help think that we might be onto something here. In fact, I kind of want to market these as a healthy snack for kids-of-all-ages called Apple Skinz. That's right -- they're so good I want to sell them at Whole Foods. Who's with me? Make them for yourself, then let's talk!
Thanks to Rivka and NDP for giving me a space to share this gem. Wishing everyone a peaceful and meaningful Thanksgiving, and if there are candles in your future, a very happy Hanukkah!