Feature Fall Flavors with Savory Applications for Apples
October is National Apple Month, which makes it an ideal time to capitalize on consumer interest in fruit. According to Technomic, fresh fruit is one of the healthy ingredients diners would like to see more of in foodservice establishments, and demand for apple-flavored dishes grows during the fall.
Take advantage of these trends by highlighting your existing menu items made with apples and adding limited-time specials featuring this fruit as an ingredient, topping or sauce. Explore the versatility of apples through the examples below, which can serve as inspiration for your own menu.
- Pleasing paninis: Use apples to complement other flavors and textures in sandwiches. Pickled apples are incorporated into the Overnight Duck Confit Panini at Duckfat, a sandwich shop in Maine. In this Turkey & Fig Panini, Granny Smith apples bring a tart taste to oven roasted turkey breast, fig preserves and brie cheese.
- Spectacular salads: To put a seasonal twist on salads, add apples to the mix. Chickpeas, Gouda and pumpkin seeds are tossed into the Apple & Quinoa Salad at Las Vegas’ Hearthstone Kitchen & Cellar. Gouda also makes an appearance in this Spinach Salad with Smoked Turkey and Green Apple Vinaigrette, which includes Granny Smith and Red Delicious apple slices along with the apple vinaigrette.
- Marvelous marinades: Change up a regular entrée by preparing it in an apple-based sauce. Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub, a restaurant chain headquartered in Massachusetts, has offered Roasted Maple Pork Tenderloin with apple maple chutney. The spicy marinade for Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Medallions features apple cider, bourbon, paprika and cinnamon.
What’s your favorite way to use apples in a recipe? Let us know on Facebook or LinkedIn, and find more turkey recipes in the Culinary Center.
SOURCES
Technomic Healthy Eating Consumer Trend Report, 2016.
Technomic Flavor Consumer Trend Report, 2015.
Kruse, Nancy. Chefs find savory applications for apples, Nation’s Restaurant News, August 2017.
