Chef’s Note for Stovetop Cider:
Apple cider is a consistent and versatile fall classic that can be enjoyed independently or cooked into delicious fall dishes such as apple cider donuts or savory fall stews. This version of cider is a low-maintenance and flavorful twist on an American classic. I chose to incorporate some of my favorite spices from my Indian heritage, cardamom and chai, to add depth of flavor. Additionally, you can get experimental with apple varieties, supplementary fruits, sweeteners, and spices. This beverage is perfect for a Thanksgiving dinner, a holiday party, or just an ordinary November evening. It can be enjoyed by itself, mixed with seltzer, cranberry juice, or ginger ale for a fun holiday mocktail.
Ingredients:
– 10 apples, quartered (optional: 1-2 quarte-
red bosc pears, a peeled citrus fruit)
– 3⁄4 cup sugar (see note below)
– spices:1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp allspice,
(opitional spices: 1⁄2 tbsp cardamom, 1 tsp nut-
meg, 1 tsp chai masala)
– Enough water to cover everything
Annotated Instructions:
Gather ingredients:
Apples: any type or mix of apples can be used here. If you like a sweet cider, opt for sweeter apple varieties like Fuji, Gala, and Honeycrisp apples. If you want something more tart, Granny Smith or McIntosh apples are the way to go. I personally opted for a base of Honeycrisp, with a few Cosmic Crisp, Envy, and Fuji apples mixed in. Citrus: I opted for half of a blood orange, because blood orange flavor tends to play better with autumnal spices than regular orange or lemon/ lime. If you prefer a less tart cider, you can omit the citrus. Be sure to peel your fruit, because citrus peels get very bitter when cooked. You can alternatively juice a citrus fruit into the mixture towards the end of the process which will add some tang without risking bitterness Sugar: I used brown sugar because the molasses-y taste complements cinnamon very well, but white sugar works. You could also get experimental and try maple or even date syrup. If you do so, make sure to adjust the water content accordingly. Sugar level can be adjusted to taste and/or preference.
Spices: I used the traditional cinnamon and allspice, as well as some nutmeg, and for a desi twist, cardamom and chai masala (which has a similar flavor profile to chai). Chai masala is available at Kalustyan’s, a South Asian and Middle Eastern grocery store on Lexington Avenue between 28th and 29th Street. Feel free to measure the spices with your heart and use any fall spices that you enjoy.
Quarter and clean apples. Because most apples, especially those in grocery stores, are often coated in wax, I scrub mine with a produce brush under hot water for around 20 seconds each. While the wax is completely digestible and safe, I personally don’t like the melted wax texture to be present in cider. I deseed and remove the stems from my apples because apple seeds can add bitterness. It is not necessary to remove the harder fruit within the core of the apple.