Apple slices

Last weekend we came home from Ellensburg with a box of Honey Crisp apples. They're in cold storage, waiting for all sorts of yummy desserts to come from them. Of all the apples we grow in the state, this is my favorite. It has firm white flesh and a tart flavor, with just a hint of sweetness. Perfect for eating, and it's just as good in recipes.

Today was baking day: so many cloudy days in a row have brought out my nesting instincts. Dave requested apple slices, his favorite childhood dessert. This is one of the recipes my mother-in-law shared when I wrote the Pennylane Farm cookbook years ago, and I remember how the recipe card was yellowed and stained from age and use. She told me that she no longer remembered where the recipe came from, so Dave did some research. He found similar recipes of the same name that are German in origin, and linked to Chicago. So we're pretty sure the recipe belonged to Dave's great-grandmother.

As a child growing up in the windy city, Marion spent every afternoon with her German grandmother. She speaks warmly of the woman who loved her completely, and who taught her how to cook. I like to think that this much loved recipe has now been passed down through five generations.