Dried Apples

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall had this to say about Autumn apples: "There are culinary compensations for cooler days and darker evenings, not least the abundance of apples and pears. Raw but ripe, they beg to be munched, sucked, crunched and slurped. And when we've had our fill of the naked fruit, baked, poached, puréed and sautéed. And there's always time to toss some into a pie or crumble."

The pink lady apples we have picked from our own tree are not only sweeter than those bland  apples that can be bought all year round, but they have the most amazing crunch!

We have made quite a few apples dishes this Autumn. These dried apples are always a good way to use up excess. We now dry them in the oven, because when we tried baking them in the sun our daughter found the trays and took a bite out of every single one.

To dry the apples, wash and clean them well. You can peel them if you like (we didn't).

Core them and slice into thin rings (best thickness is about 3-5mm).

Cover a baking tray with al-foil and lay out the apple. Place in a pre-heated oven at 100 degrees Celsius.

Cook for an hour, then leave to cool in the oven overnight. If they are not dried enough repeat this process the following day (and again the following day).

They are supposed to last quite a few weeks in an airtight container, but they are always gone within a few days in our house, so we can't verify this!