One reason French apple tarts are sometimes disappointing is that they use edible apples (often bland Golden Delicious). If I were to follow the French recipe, I would use the tartest table apples I could find, such as Granny Smith, but what I really want are apples that are hard to come by (unless you go to your apple collection).
(Blogdale, Kent): Kernel of Ashmead. It’s sour and sweet, has a firm skin, and fills your mouth with juice. There was a tree in my previous house. It was hard to leave.
I like apples in savory dishes for the same reason I like apples in desserts: the fun of contrast. I love meat and fruit. Pork with applesauce, lamb with apple and rosemary jelly, and sautéed chicken with apple, green onion and cream.
But my appreciation of apples rests not only on taste, but also on familiarity. It was the first fruit I loved, along with apricots. I pretended it was a toffee apple, stuck a fork in the base and ate it whole. I went straight ahead, occasionally accidentally eating a few seeds, until my mean uncle told me that an apple tree would grow inside my belly. The orchard seemed magical, but I never wanted to have one inside me.
