Ridiculously good dessert: Grated Apples in Syrup

It occurred to me last night that many of my blog posts make me seem sort of hapless in the kitchen. I'm actually fairly competent; but I think that my life, like that of so many other people I know, feels continually harried and rushed and teetering on the brink of calamity, and this general sense of panic spills over into the one place in my life where I actually feel like I know what I'm doing.

We had a dinner party last night. It was a great joy to sit down with guests at a dinner that I'd put a lot of thought and effort into, and to really feel that I was in my element. That sense of competence is sorely lacking from many other parts of my life right now so last night's dinner was especially gratifying. Our theme was "Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Liberation of Ioannina." (Yes, very random. We chose a date and looked for holidays to match.) It's a region in northwestern Greece with food that is very different from the coastal/Mediterranean dishes we usually associate with Greek cuisine, so it turned into a bit of a research project as well. I highly recommend 'The Glorious Foods of Greece" by Diane Kochilas if you're interested in learning more about this - I now have sufficient inspiration for a decade's worth of dinner parties.

The menu:
Mixed olives and Greek cheeses
Broiled prawns with skordalia
Taramasalata with pita, cucumbers, and tomato

Grilled lamb skewers with fresh bay leaves
Baked gigantes beans with tomato, feta, and leeks
Cold turnip greens with lemon
Winter squash pilaf
Batter pie with feta and egg (as opposed to a phyllo pie)
Baked onion and paprika relish

Date and walnut balls
Chickpea and raisin sweet (similar to halvah)
Grated apples in syrup with Greek yogurt


The gigantes didn't turn out as I wished, but everything else was good - the winter squash pilaf was an especially nice surprise. The big hit of the night was the apples, however; some of us had fourths. This recipe is taken from "The Glorious Foods of Greece."

Grated Apples in Syrup 

3 lbs Macintosh apples
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Peel and core the apples. Put the peels in a pot with the water, then cover and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the peels, add the sugar, and simmer for another 10 minutes.

While the syrup is simmering, grate the apples coarsely (the food processor does a great job and spares your knuckles). Add the grated apples to the syrup and simmer until the mixture is thick and the apples are softened but not mushy. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool before serving.

This was absolutely fantastic on its own, but it's even better spooned over a big bowl of Greek yogurt with a sprinkling of slivered almonds. The recipe alleges this will keep up to 3 months in the fridge, but I can't imagine it's going to last that long.