NYC's Best Apple Dishes, Desserts For Fall
A stroll around any greenmarket in town and you'll catch a glimpse of the wonderful variety of apples grown in and around New York State—from Gala to Red Delicious to Honeycrisp. All that bounty means the city's chefs have nearly endless opportunity to be creative. Here's are our six favorite apple-centric dishes -- both savory and sweet -- available for gobbling up and gushing about this season. By Jessica Allen.
Apple Cider Caramel Sauce Dessert Pizza at Paulie Gee's
60 Greenpoint Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11222
(347) 987-3747
http://pauliegee.com/greenpoint
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"Dessert" and "pizza" happen to be two of our favorite words, so you can only imagine how we feel about the phrase "dessert pizza." At Paulie Gee's, an artisanal pizza restaurant, you've got your choice of a few different post-dinner pizzas, including those topped with candied orange, marmalade, anisette cream, and fennel fronds. But this is a list about apples, which brings us to the Apple Cider Caramel Sauce Dessert Pizza, which features "ricotta dollops" atop a sticky, not-too-sweet sauce, and perfectly charred crust. We are in love!
Apples and Brie Crepe at Bar Suzette
Chelsea Market
425 West 15th Street
New York, 10011
(917) 207-7552
http://www.barsuzettenyc.com
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Bar Suzette bills itself as the city's "premier creperie," offering crepes both sweet and savory. Their Apples and Brie crepe comes with greens, honey, and a balsamic vinaigrette -- serving as a delicious reminder of just how well apples and cheese blend. You can continue the fruit theme for dessert, opting for a Nutella and Coconut crepe, or sink your chompers into their simple, but delectable Butter and Sugar bite.
Autumn in New York at Ample Hills
623 Vanderbilt Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(347) 240-3926
http://www.amplehills.com
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Why eat your apples when you can lick them? Ample Hills Creamery makes some of the most delicious ice cream the east side of the East River. No joke! Newly launched this fall, "Autumn in New York" features apple cider sorbet made on-site with amaretto, cloves, ginger and cinnamon. We're also pretty jazzed about the awesomely named "No Sleep Till Pumpkin," which blends pumpkin-flavored butter cake and coffee ice cream.
Blushing Apple Chausson at Rebelle
218 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
(917) 639-3880
http://rebellenyc.com
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Some might argue that the success of brunch rises and falls with the beverages, but we are not those people. For us, the success of brunch rises and falls on pastries. We're happy to report that those at Rebelle score points on all fronts, and we're happier still to go on at great lengths about the Blushing Apple Chausson, a French-style turnover crammed with loads and loads of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples.
Deep Dish Apple and Buckwheat Pie with Cheddar Ice Cream at Gramercy Tavern
42 East 20th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 477-0777
http://www.gramercytavern.com
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We could easily fill a list with the city's best apple pies. There's something about the fruit that lends itself to being doused with sugar and nestled in a crust. Hard as it was to pick one, we settled on the almost-savory version offered at Gramercy Tavern. Their uber-talented pastry chef, Miro Uskokovic, relies on local, seasonal products, from fruit to produce and dairy. Their deep dish Apple and Buckwheat pie comes perfectly browned and paired with a hefty scoop of cheddar ice cream. While it's designed to be shared, we won't tell if you order it by yourself.
Pickled Pumpkin and Apple Salad at Freemans
Freeman Alley
191 Chrystie Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 420-0012
http://www.freemansrestaurant.com
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Since it debuted on Portlandia in 2012, the "We Can Pickle That" sketch has become a GIF, a Pinterest board, a BuzzFeed list, and, of course, the basis for all kinds of recipes. We're not sure if the folks at Freemans had Fred and Carrie in mind when they developed the American rustic restaurant's Pickled Pumpkin and Apple Salad, which comes with goat cheese, spinach, farro, and a muscatel vinaigrette. For the full fall effect, try the lamp shepherd's pie or roasted vegetable and barley pilaf as your entrée, with a side of sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.
