It’s September which means apples are right in their prime season! Although apples are available year-round, most apples ripen in the August-October time frame. I’ve had a craving for apples ever since September began so I was so excited when I was contacted recently about trying an apple variety called SweeTango that I’ve never had before.
SweeTango apples a variety bred at the University of Minnesota and are a cross between the Honeycrisp and Zestar! varieties. The apples are crisp and sweet with a hint of citrus, honey, and spice and have a nice crunchy and juicy texture that’s perfect to eat raw. They have a beautiful coloring too — SweeTango is a blush apple with deep red coloration over a yellow breaking background. The variety first hit store shelves in limited quantities in 2009, and has since grown to achieve distribution across the U.S. and Canada.
I received two SweeTango apples in the mail and couldn’t wait to try them! One I saved for me to just enjoy on its own and the other went into one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever had, Autumn Apple Salad with Cinnamon Honey Dijon Dressing! This salad is packed with a bunch of different textures and flavors which is what I really love about it. But the true star of the salad is the SweeTango apple!
Ingredients:
Salad:
- 2 cups red leaf lettuce, torn
- 2 cups spinach leaves, torn
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- 2 tablespoons salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 2 tablespoons dried cherries
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 1 SweeTango apple, thinly sliced
Dressing:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- a pinch of salt and pepper
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