Pomomania + Baked Spiced Pink Pearl Chips #LitHappens #FoodieReads

This post is inspired by our May #LitHappens assignment. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm invited us to read North Woods by Daniel Mason. And I will admit right now that I didn't finish the book.

On the Page

There are very few books that I don't finish once I have started. But my interest waned at a little beyond the halfway point. And as there are so many other books I want to read, I gave up. It's the story of a house in New England - that is surrounded by an apple orchard - and the people who inhabit the house over centuries.

The sororicide threw me for a loop; that was unexpected. The charlatan medium who hosts a séance only to have an actual encounter was the last vignette that I read. But what sent me into the kitchen was the persistent 'pomomania'. Yes, I do mean an obsession with apples. Charles Osgood is so laser focused on apples that his family attempts to cure him with a psychiatrist. He finds an apple tree growing from a seed on an apple-eating murder victim and declares they are the sweetest apples in history. He names the variety Osgood's Wonder.

On the Plate

I don't have pomomania, but I do have a love of the Pink Pearl apples. So, for this #LitHappens assignment, I am sharing apple chips tossed with a warming chai-inspired spice blend.

Pink Pearl apples are my favorite - not just because they are gorgeous, but because they are so sweet and tart at the same time. I just love them. You can do this process with any apple, and I like to use a chai spice blend, but if you don't have that, you can make your own with sugar, ground cardamom, ground cloves, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground black pepper, and some vanilla bean powder.

Pink Pearls produce more moist chips with a slight chew. And, I'll be honest, I loved the pink flecks that remain even in the dried chip.

Ingredients

makes 1 tray

• 3 to 4 small apples

• 1 teaspoon chai spice

• 1 Tablespoon organic granulated sugar

• Also needed: baking sheet lined with parchment or foil for easier clean-up, wire rack that fits into the sheet

Procedure

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Place wire rack on to of the lined baking sheet and set aside.

Slice the apples with a mandolin slicer. Because I liked the chips on the thicker side, I used setting two for these.

Place the apples in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat completely. Let stand for at least 10 minutes. They will begin to get a little bit syrupy as they sit.

Arrange apples slices on the wire rack in a single layer. Bake in the preheated oven till apples are dried and edges are curling up, approximately 40 to 45 minutes.

Using a metal spatula, run the edge beneath the chips while they are still warm so that they don't stick as they cool. Note: They will not feel crispy until they cool down. They will become harder as they cool.

Enjoy immediately or place them in an airtight container and eat within a week. Honestly, ours never last the evening.

I am adding this to the May #FoodieReads link-up.