Forget original sin and think original health food. For Eve, it seems, was smarter than she knew when she dared to bite into the forbidden fruit.
Aphorisms about an apple a day keeping the doctor away aside, for thousands of years people enjoyed apples without truly appreciating how healthful they are. Even today, many people would rather just enjoy the great taste of apples than think about their nutritional benefits. Apples are experiencing unprecedented popularity. Americans eat about 19 pounds per person per year, making apples the No. 2 selling item in the nation's produce departments. (Bananas are No. 1.)
Most significant about an apple's nutritional benefits is its high dietary fiber content, about 4.28 grams for a medium-sized fruit with skin -- about as much as a serving of granola or bran cereal and more than cornflakes, whole wheat bread or broccoli.
An apple's 80 fat-free calories make it the ideal diet food. Compare that with the 250 "empty" calories in a typical slice of chocolate cake. And the sugar in apples is fructose, which tastes twice as sweet as table sugar but triggers a slower rise in blood sugar levels. In other words, an apple won't lift you sky high, then let you down like a candy bar does.
Practically sodium-free, apples are good sources of vitamins A and C, thiamine, riboflavin, phosphorus and calcium. And they contain abundant complex carbohydrates.
Apple personalities vary. If you think an apple is an apple is an apple, don't be surprised to find your pie tastes like it's filled with plastic foam.
The all-American favorite, the Red Delicious, is also the world's most popular apple. The fine-grained, sweet, crisp and juicy flesh is best eaten raw. The Golden Delicious is the best all-purpose apple. Juicy, sweet and tender, it holds its shape when cooked.
"Queen of the baking apples," the Rome Beauty retains its shape and flavor when cooked. Its brilliant red but tough, smooth skin shelters its sweet, juicy flesh.
The old-fashioned, all-purpose Winesap has been a favorite since the early 1800s, valued for its tangy and winy taste, glossy red skin and yellowish flesh.
The Granny Smith, an import from New Zealand and South Africa, is prized for its tart flavor, firm flesh and clear green skin. It's one of the best cooking apples around. Enjoy it in the two recipes that follow.
QUICK APPLE TARTS
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup powdered sugar
