As autumn approaches, we’re all starting to fall for those comforting, cold-weather treats.
While there are many seasonal delights to focus on, whether you claim to be a pumpkin spice savant, always opt to indulge in caramel or can’t deny yourself a cozy chai, you have to admit apples might top them all as the most versatile staple of the season.
Picked fresh from the tree, apples inspire creativity in the kitchen, if they aren’t gobbled up first. You will find them sliced onto cheese boards, blended into cocktails, baked in a delicious dessert and sipped in the form of cider, apples inspire creativity in the kitchen.
And these Delaware establishments have an ample repertoire of all things apple inspired.
Before autumn bids us adieu in December, see how many of these apple variations around the state you can eat and drink your way through:
Caramel apples in Rehoboth
There’s never a wrong time for a sweet treat, no matter how old you are. Kilwin’s in Rehoboth is a one-stop shop for all your confectionery needs, including the tried-and-true caramel apple.
Their candy apples are made daily, with the caramel made on-site in a copper kettle. Each apple takes about three hours to make, and if melted chocolate is added, another hour is added.
One of Kilwin’s fall favorites is the Apple Pie flavor. It has a caramel apple base that is topped with white chocolate, cinnamon and sugar.
Their top-selling flavor is the Chocolate Sea Salt apple, available in milk or dark chocolate, followed by the Pecan Turtle apple, a Granny Smith apple dunked in caramel before being rolled in pecans and drizzled with milk chocolate.
While at Kilwin’s, check out their ample supply of chocolates, handmade sweets and gift baskets.
140 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth, (302) 227-3611;facebook.com/KilwinsRehobothBeach/
Boozy Sidecar in Lewes
Heirloom in Lewes is serving up apples three ways with a brand-new menu offerings for fall.
As you wait to devour the rest of Heirloom’s food line-up, their Boozy Sidecar is the perfect cocktail to sip this season. The drink combines Laird’s apple brandy, Fifer Orchards apple cider, Cointreau, dehydrated apple, fresh lemon juice and a blend of fall spaces. For an extra fall feel, they finish this sidecar off with a cinnamon sugar rim.
Spice things up;Satisfy pumpkin spice cravings at Delaware restaurants, shops and bakeries
Another apple-inspired dish is a cider-brined and –glazed Berkshire Pork Chop with braised leeks and creamy white beans, shaved fennel, Fifer Orchards honey crisp apples, wilted watercress and fall herbs lightly dressed in Dijon and lemon.
To round out your dining experience, don’t slip out the door before you get your hands on their Fried Ricotta Doughnuts. This fun finger-food is filled with spiced apples and topped with rosemary powdered sugar and toasted hazelnuts. 212 Savannah Road, Lewes, (302) 313-4065; heirloomdelaware.com/
Hard cider in Marydel
Rebel Seed Cidery, from the owners of Harvest Ridge Winery, is a family-run business making hard cider straight from the seed.
For a full-bodied dry cider, check out their Colonial Jack. If you’d rather sip on something light and sweet with notes of fragrant apple, their Liberty Tree will hit the spot. They also have a light off-dry cider called the First Anthem.
To kick your Rebel Seed cider up a notch, the business has crafted an autumnal cocktail known as the “orchard flannel.” This fall cider drink calls for bourbon, allspice, cinnamon bitters and ice, topped off with Rebel Seed First Anthem and an apple slice garnish. 447 Westville Road, Marydel, (302) 343-9437;rebelseed.com/
Apple spreads in Milton
You’ve probably had apples baked, mashed and sliced, but have you tried them jellied?
Milton-based Backyard Jams and Jellies has a wide range of flavors for all your jelly needs. With so many apple offerings to choose from, you just might end up in a jam.
Available directly through the shop’s site or at local markets, some of the apple products include a Spiced Apple Jelly, Apple Jelly, Apple and Grape Jelly, Apple Butter, Apple Hot Pepper Jelly and an Autumn Chutney.
Regular jellies are great for a classic PB&J or on toast and biscuits. Pepper jellies are the perfect accompaniment on a charcuterie board, and also can be used as a meat or vegetable glaze. These spicy jellies also have been used in cocktails by local bartenders.
The chutney is an all-purpose pantry staple that can be used on meats, cheeseboards, waffles, or swirled into ice cream.
However you prefer to use your jams and jellies, there’s sure to be an apple flavor from this shop perfect for your culinary needs.
407 Chestnut St., Milton, 302-684-0435; http://www.backyardjamsandjellies.com/home.html
Caramel Apple Cheesecake in Wilmington
Cheesecake, only cozier. That’s what Sweet Somethings Desserts concocted with their Caramel Apple Cheesecake.
Their take on the classic dessert has been a staple at the bakery for years. It combines a creamy cheesecake with an apple pie center. The cheesecake is then topped with caramel and a streusel made of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts.
Fall Fest fun:Fall festival lineup: Zombies, faeries, scrapple and Bob Marley in Delaware
Although it’s offered year-round, the cheesecake is known to be a fan favorite in the colder months, so we suggest getting your hands on one (or two or three … ) as quickly as possible.
1006 N Union St, Wilmington, (302) 655-7211; sweetsomethingsdesserts.com/
Apple PB&J in Bridgeville
TS Smith & Sons brands itself as the oldest operation in Delaware, so it comes as no surprise that tasty bites screaming apples galore are readily available.
For a gourmet twist on classic PB&J, their Orchard Point Market serves the Bridgeville Bacon Bomb, which includes honey-roasted peanut butter, pecan-apple butter and sliced banana, and the Orchard Point Health Nut, consisting of honey-roasted peanut butter, blueberries, apples and local honey.
While summer heat lingers awhile longer, there’s plenty of time to indulge in their Smith’s Signature, a warm apple- cinnamon donut topped with a scoop of your choice of ice cream, finishing with a caramel drizzle.
The market also serves in-season apple dumplings and apple cider donuts.
T.S. Smith & Sons, 8899 Redden Road, Bridgeville, (302) 337-8271; facebook.com/TSSmithandsons/; T.S. Smith Orchard Point Market, 9045 Redden Road, Bridgeville, (302) 727-1983; orchardpointmarket.com/
French Apple Cider Cake in Wilmington
Once a holiday special, Le Cavalier’s French Apple Cider Cake is making its fall debut on their menu this season.
The three-layer final course begins with vanilla cake base made with a batter that includes apple cider and hard cider. Cake layers are then infused with a hard cider simple syrup for an extra punch.
For a finishing touch, the cake is iced with a brown butter frosting of cream cheese, vanilla, heavy cream and powdered sugar, before receiving a coating of shortbread crumbs and Calvados-caramel pecans.
42 W 11th St, Wilmington, (302) 594-3154; lecavalierde.com/
Hard cider, again, (because it’s just that good) in Elsmere
If one hard cider option wasn’t enough, we have plenty more where that came from.
Liquid Alchemy Beverages is an Elsmere-based business conjuring up all sorts of cider goodness.
Their best-selling cider is In-CORE-Rigible cider, their lightest blend at 5.2% ABV, and made with Lancaster County apples.
Coming back soon, their Cinnical Cider delivers double the cinnamon flavor and is known as “apple pie in a glass.” The business has been known to serve this one warm with orange slices and cinnamon sticks, with whipped cream and a ginger snap on top for the perfect fall nightcap.
Customers have even used Cinnical Cider in bread pudding and apple cakes!
For a cocktail twist, Liquid Alchemy co-owner Terri Sorantino is a fan of making red sangria with cider.
Best foot forward:Walk this way: 6 places to hike, soak up history, see autumn leaves and maybe a few ghosts
Her recipe includes Liquid Alchemy’s Pucker-Up-Baby (a hibiscus mead), Liquid Alchemy’s The-Light-Cider, apple brandy, diced apples, cranberries, a sliced orange and cinnamon sticks.
Liquid Alchemy also is in the process of getting apples from Fifer Orchards, so keep your eyes peeled for their annual First State Hard Cider.
28 Brookside Drive, Elsmere, (302) 438-0252;https://www.liquidalchemybeverages.com/
U-pick apples, Fifer Orchards
Who says you can’t have a little fun with your food before you eat it?
Picking your own farm-fresh produce is a great family activity, and Fifer Orchards offers u-pick apples throughout the fruit’s season.
They also offer fresh apple cider and apple cider donuts, available at Lloyd’s Market in Lewes.
For more apple flavor, Fifer’s Farm Kitchen has a Pulled Apple BBQ Beef Brisket Combo on their menu, as well as a “Slower Lower” Sandwich, a Fifer’s apple cider donut sliced and filled with crispy Delaware scrapple.
If that doesn’t scream Delaware, we don’t know what will.
Fifer Orchards – Farm Store, 1919 Allabands Mill Road, Camden-Wyoming, (302) 697-2141; fiferorchards.com/; Fifer Orchards – Beach Store, 200 Cullen St., Dewey Beach, (302) 227-8680; Fifer Orchards – Mobile Donut Kitchen, (business address) 514 E. Savannah Road, Lewes, (302) 697-2141. Truck moves around.
Apple cider donuts, Elkton, MD
Although Milburn Orchards sits right across the state line in Elkton, many Delawareans bring on the chilly season with an annual trip to this nearby operation for a day packed with fall fun.
Not only can you traipse through the farm to pick your own apples, but their on-site shop also sells apple products such as apple cider and apple butter, among other goodies.
Milburn offers apple pies in a variety of flavors, including an Apple Crumble Pie, Apple-Berry Delight and a Wild About Apple Caramel Walnut.
For even more fun, check out their goat yoga or stop by for one of their Fall Festival Weekends.
1495 Appleton Road, near Elkton, Maryland, (800) 684-3000;milburnorchards.com/
