Cider arrives with cool evenings and the first hint of frost. It`s the time of year when donuts and apple pies seem appropriate, and city families visit farms to pick apples and to check out pumpkins with an eye toward Halloween.
Cider serves as the nectar of autumn, just as lemonade dominates summer, hot chocolate winter and bock beer the spring. Cider belongs to almost no other time of year, and there is a reason for that.
”Summer apples don`t make that good a cider,” explains Bill Anderson, owner of Anderson Orchards in Valparaiso, Ind. Carl Garwood of Garwood Orchards in nearby LaPorte echoes the sentiment. ”The flavor of summer apples is just about all tart,” he says, ”and that doesn`t make a good juice.”
But at Bell`s Apple Orchard near Lake Zurich, Ill., one of the area`s few summertime cider operations, John Bell III managed to put out a tasty brew for those all-season ciderphiles who couldn`t wait for the leaves to start turning.
”We had some red delicious apples that we froze last fall, and we mix those with the more tart apples we grow in the summer,” Bell says. ”This year, we were pretty heavy on Ida Reds. It`s a well-rounded apple, flavorwise, so it makes a pretty good juice all by itself.”
Ideal mixture
Discussions of cider take on a tone of connoisseurship as the manufacturers and some of the more discerning customers debate the relative merits of Jonathans, McIntosh, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Ida Red and Winesap as the building blocks of the ideal fall refresher.
”The ideal mixture is one-third apples with a lot of aromatic qualities, like McIntosh and Cortland,” Carl Garwood says. ”Another third would be the heavy sweets like Red Delicious or Golden Delicious. And another third would be the tart types like Jonathan or Winesap.”
Rare is the autumn when all three parts reach maturity at cider-pressing time, so growers always juggle their crops and cider-pressing schedules to meet contingencies. During the fall pick-it-yourself season, much of the crop is pre-sorted by customers, who routinely reject apples lacking full color, large size, or unblemished skin. With certain exceptions, those aesthetically- displeasing products serve well as cider stock.
”Generally speaking, if the skin on an apple is broken, it can`t qualify for cider grade,” says John Bell. ”Part of the problem with the pick-your-own program is some of the waste we`re getting. The amount we can pick up and use for cider apples doesn`t cover the cost. We can`t use an apple that someone has bitten into or stepped on. Some people go out and pick four or five bushels, sort through them and just keep the best.
”But usually what they leave on the trees are apples with less color. Probably the biggest thing that makes a cider apple is the lack of color with some blemishes-I call them imperfections. If a Red Delicious, for example, doesn`t have at least 90 percent color, it`s going to get chucked into a utility grade or become a cider apple.”
At nearby Wauconda Orchards, general manager Rick Breeden and his crews gather apples off the ground. ”We call them windfalls,” he says. ”When they ripen, they fall off. They`re not rotten. They may have a bump or bruise from hitting the ground, that`s all.”
Manufacturing cider
With a few minor variations, the farms all use the same basic method to manufacture cider. In machines or on a special table, the apples are scrubbed and sorted by size. Some farms set aside large, relatively unblemished apples and sell them to food processors as utility grade.
The clean apples are dumped into a hopper, which feeds into a device that chops them into small pieces. The resulting pulp is pumped through tubes onto racks covered with a strong cloth.
A hydraulic press squeezes the racks together under tremendous pressure, forcing juice through the fabric and leaving a dry pulp, which does not go to waste.
”That dry pulp adds a little nutrient value to the soil, and when it`s tilled in, it tends to loosen it, too,” Breeden explains.
The juice travels into a trough, often stainless steel, and then it is pumped through another pipe into a filtered tank and finally into a cold-storage tank, ready for bottling.
”Usually, we`ll let the cider sit overnight in these large tanks,” says Breeden. ”That gives most of the pulp a chance to settle out. ”Then we open a spigot at the bottom of the tank and let it go. The rest of the pulp, small grainy pieces like those in fresh-squeezed orange juice, we stir back into the cider. Then we bottle it in gallon and half-gallon plastic jugs, put them into bulk boxes and send them directly to the freezer.”
Freezing enhances flavor
Cider is one food product that freezing absolutely will not harm. Most of the people who make it claim freezing actually enhances the flavor, bringing out a bit more sweetness.
Opinions on the proper recipe for a good cider vary wildly, but there seems to be general agreement that a cider made only from Red Delicious would be insipidly sweet. Bell suggests that anyone ambitious enough to attempt the crushing task of making cider at home, the best choice would be Golden Delicious.
”It gives you a sweet-tart flavor,” he says, hastening to explain the apparent contradiction in terms: ”There`s a snappiness to the Golden, but there`s also a mellow sweetness as it goes down the throat. There are little pockets of sugar in it.”
Bill Anderson of Anderson Orchards, makes his cider using a favorite formula. ”We like to mix Jonathan, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious together,” he says. ”A lot of people don`t want it real sweet and not real tart, so this gives a sort of blend.”
The press at Anderson can handle 35 bushels of apples at a time, each bushel yielding three or four gallons. ”In the fall, of course, the fresh ones are more juicy,” Anderson notes, ”and we get more cider than if we had stored them for a long time. I don`t know if we`ve ever pressed more than 1,000 gallons in a day, but we could press more than that.”
Most cider presses have a similar capability, and so cider-makers carefully modulate their production according to the anticipated volume of walk-in customers and the demands of wholesalers.
Development of cider
Fresh cider made from newly-ripened apples may keep for more than six weeks in the refrigerator. Most manufacturers add a slight amount of vitamin C to slow fermentation. Cider that has been clarified, pasteurized and otherwise preserved becomes something else: apple juice.
As cider ages, it will develop a sparkling natural carbonation. After that, it can turn to vinegar. Anderson, for one, allows a portion of his output to reach the vinegar stage and sells it to local farmers and horse breeders. ”Dairy farmers mix it with their feed to aid digestion,” he reports, ”and breeders rub it on the legs of race horses to take the stiffness out.”
Properly fermented, the cider will turn ”hard.” ”True hard cider is like drinking alcohol,” says Breeden of Wauconda. ”I don`t know the proof, but it`s stout stuff. Pioneers drank it all winter long. I guess it kept them warm.”
Growers compete
When growers attend conventions, they often bring a jug of cider to match with other growers` ciders in lighthearted competition. They will do that during the January meeting of the Illinois State Horticultural Society in Springfield and at similar gatherings held in Ohio and Iowa.
”They`ll have a panel of judges, and it`s kind of like choosing the prize jam at the state fair,” says Breeden. ”Some people have their famous secret cider recipes. There`s a lot of corniness involved in this, but it`s a lot of fun.”
In some precincts, people savor cider with the air of oenologists. Dennis Courtier, president of the vast Pepin Heights Orchards of Farmington, Minn., has been heavily involved in the development of a gourmet-worthy sparkling cider.
”I used to do a lot of wine judging,” he says, ”and in my travels to the different European vineyards, wineries and whatnot, I always enjoyed the sparkling apple ciders.
”I was never really happy with the ones I tasted in the U.S. ”
Courtier finally struck upon a formula and process in 1987 and now markets Pepin Heights Sparkling Apple Cider in six states.
”Most of the American sparkling ciders are sweet and sort of flat-tasting,” Courtier believes. ”I was looking for a flavor profile more like a good riesling with enough acidity to hold the thing together.
”The exact recipe varies, depending on the flavor profile of the apple variety at a given time. They actually change in flavor as they mature. Some of the primary varieties include one very high in acid that we grow here in Minnesota. It`s called the Haralson. We also use the McIntosh, which has a lot of aroma, and the Cortland, which gives the cider a very nice mouth feel and lots of body. There can be other varieties as well.”
The sparkle comes from carbonation, not fermentation, and the product is pasteurized for an indefinite shelf life.
Sadly, the beverage seems to lack an apple-cheeked innocence. Such sophistication does not quite seem to fit with muddy country roads, falling leaves, bonfires and tailgate parties. But maybe, in time, Americans will learn.
If you are planning a special autumn menu, here are several recipes using cider.
ACORN SQUASH SOUP WITH CIDER
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: About 5 cups
1 large acorn squash, about 2 1/4 pounds
1 cup apple cider
3 strips bacon
2 medium onions, about 10 ounces total, thinly sliced
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
2 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup each: whipping cream, milk
Salt, freshly ground pepper
fresh chives for garnish
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut squash in half crosswise and scoop out the seeds and spongy membrane. Cut flat ends so the halves don`t tip over. Stand on a foil-lined baking sheet and pour 3 tablespoons cider into each half. Bake until squash is completely tender, about 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, cut bacon into 1/2-inch pieces. Cook in a 3-quart saucepan until fat is rendered. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard all but 1 1/2 tablespoons bacon fat. Add onions and thyme to remaining fat and cook gently until they are a rich golden brown but not burned, 20 to 25 minutes. Add vinegar, cook 30 seconds and remove from heat. Transfer to processor or blender.
3. When squash is tender, add any remaining cider from their cavities to the onions. Scoop out the flesh and add it to the onions. Puree in batches in food processor or blender. Return to saucepan and add stock, cream, milk, remaining cider, salt and pepper. Simmer gently unil soup is hot and flavors are blended, about 5 minutes. Garnish with reserved bits of bacon and snipped chives. Serve hot.
PORK TENDERLOIN WITH CIDER SAUCE AND CARAMELIZED APPLES
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 1 to 12 hours
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon each: cider vinegar, grainy Dijon mustard, brown sugar
2 pork tenderloins, about 2 1/2 pounds total
1 tablespoon butter
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup chicken stock or broth
2/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup whipping cream
Apples:
1 tablespoon butter
2 MacIntosh apples, unpeeled, cored, in 3/8-inch slices
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1. Mix 1 tablespoon of the oil, vinegar, mustard and brown sugar in small dish. Transfer to a large plastic food bag and add pork. Seal bag and refrigerate meat at least 1 hour or up to 12.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil and butter in a large skillet. Add pork and brown well on all sides, seasoning each side generously with salt and pepper as the meat is turned. Add stock; reduce heat and simmer gently, covered, until meat is tender, about 35 minutes.
3. Remove meat and set aside on a platter, tented with foil to keep warm. Add apple cider to pan juices and boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, for apples, melt butter in a large skillet. When hot, add apples and cook over high heat just until they begin to turn brown at the edges. Sprinkle with sugar and continue cooking 1 minute longer.
5. Finish sauce by adding cream to the reduced cider mixture. Boil until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve pork in thin slices, napped with sauce and apples on the side.
ANNIE APPLE CIDER CAKE
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 to 60 minutes
Yield: 12-inch Bundt cake
1 pound light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 cups apple cider, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, ground cloves
1 cup each: chopped dates, raisins, toasted chopped pecans or walnuts
Brown sugar glaze, recipe follows
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 12-cup Bundt pan and coat the inside with flour; tap out excess.
2. Cream the sugar and butter in large electic mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in cider and vanilla. Stir the dry ingredients together and add to batter. Stir in dates, raisins and nuts.
3. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely. When cool, spoon glaze over top of cake, letting it drip down the sides.
BROWN SUGAR GLAZE
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: About 1 cup
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup each: apple cider, sour cream
1. Put all ingredients into small heavy saucepan and whisk until smooth. Heat to a boil then cook vigorously for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before using.
