FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Apples that taste as good as they look

By Wanda A. Adams
Food Editor

Pink Lady apples balance a sweet to tart and crisp taste. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

The name suits this apple's appearance: a delicate wash of pink over a yellow ground, like a pastel painting. These apples are as good to eat as they are to look at: a very nice balance of sweet to tart and crisp, though not juicy.

Pink Lady apples are grown in California, Oregon and Washington, as well as Australia and New Zealand. They are harvested from October to February and available in markets from October to May.

Milton Miyasato of Safeway Beretania said their Pink Lady supply is from California; the apples sell for $1.69 per pound. Foodland expects a supply later this week and stock from New Zealand in May.

Pink Lady apples can be munched fresh or cooked. I experimented with a baked apple the other night — cored, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, dotted with a little butter and baked in a little cream. Oh, yum.

So many different apples are in the market now, it's a good time to make simple baked apple butter: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large, nonreactive pot, mix together 5 pounds peeled, cored apples cut into eighths; 3 cups water; 3 cups sugar; pinch of salt; and 4 sticks of cinnamon, a teaspoon of whole cloves and a teaspoon of whole allspice tied in cheesecloth. Bake for 5 hours (possibly longer), stirring often. Butter should be beautiful light chocolate brown and velvety; it's done when a spoonful placed on a plate sits up and doesn't release any liquid. Use a variety of tart and sweet-tart new-crop apples (Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, Jonagold; not Delicious). Approximate nutrition information per 2-tablespoon serving: 51 calories; no fat; 12 grams carbohydrate; 1 gram fiber; 5 milligrams sodium; 2 milligrams calcium.