Apple Tasting

Have you ever really tasted different types of apples?  I decided to buy a few different kinds and do some tasting.  I bought Cortland, McIntosh, Crispin, Gala, Empire and Red Delicious.  First I cut each apple in half and tasted the apples raw.  If nothing else this is an excellent exercise to realize the differences between apple textures and flavors.

With the remaining half of each apple I made a simple apple tart.  I used a store bought pie crust placed on parchment paper on a baking sheet.  I visually divided the crust into 6 slices and labeled the parchment around the crust so I could keep the the apples straight.  I sliced the remaining half of each apple into 1/4 thick slices and placed in a row down the middle of each "pie slice."  I then sprinkled sugar over the apples and dotted them with small dices of butter and baked in the oven until done.

I was actually surprised at some notable differences between raw and cooked for some of the varieties.  For example the Cortland seemed to have much more flavor when cooked and the Crispin seemed to have less.  The Red Delicious turned mushy while the McIntosh seemed to stay firmer.

This was a fun experiment for a lazy Saturday morning and I will definitely be repeating this fall during apple season!