*This recipe was originally published in the Wellness Issue of Edible Santa Fe Magazine.
Apples are a great store crop, a way to incorporate pectin and fiber into your diet, and they always seem to get better after the first frost. A perfect balance of sweet and salty with a boozy bite, this recipes evokes caramel apples and pie from childhood without the blood sugar crash.
The caramel is made with local honey, leaving out over-processed corn syrup, adding the antibiotic effects of honey, and giving a wonderful floral flavor to the caramel. Rose Hip powder, which is higher in vitamin C than an orange, can be found online at mountainroseherbs.com, or it can be left out. Piñon nuts are local and foraged in New Mexico from the trees of the same name, but can also be found in most grocery stores labeled simply as “pine nuts”.
Ingredients for Ice Cream:
5-6 crisp apples
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. apple brandy; try Santa Fe Spirits barrel aged Apple Brandy
3/4 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup full fat coconut milk from a can (you can also use heavy cream)
Directions:
You need an ice cream maker for this recipe. Chop the apples and add to a blender. I leave the skins on to get the most nutrients from the apples. Add all the liquid ingredients and blend on high until pureed. Pour into a ice cream maker and follow instructions from manufacturer. If you want to try just freezing it, I recommend taking it out every 15 minutes and hand stirring rapidly to simulate the effect of an ice cream maker. Serve with salted caramel sauce and lightly pan toasted piñon nuts. You can substitute coconut cream for the heavy cream.
“Rose Hip Salted Caramel Sauce”
Ingredients:
* 1 cup of local honey
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. salted butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanila
1 Tbsp. rose hip powder
1-2 tsp. salt
Directions:
You will need a large skillet, a bowl, and a whisk. I use a heavy-bottomed cast iron skillet to make caramel. In your skillet, combine the honey and the heavy cream over medium heat. Using a metal whisk, begin to whisk the two together, making sure to move around in large circles across the pan. The honey and cream will boil up and then back down, beginning to get a look of soft tan leather. Now add the butter and whisk together. Pour the caramel sauce into the bowl, and add the vanilla, salt, and rose hip powder. Pour over the ice cream immediately or save in a sealed jar in the fridge to reheat when you’re ready to use it; it will stay good for up to two weeks or longer.
The final touch is toasting about 1/4 cup of piñon nuts in a small skillet on the stove until they begin to get lightly brown. Top the ice cream and caramel sauce with the toasted piñon for a delicious nutty flavor that rounds out the whole dessert.
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