5&Dine: Apples

Green Apple Riesling PRICE: $12. WHERE: IncrediBrew, 112 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua. 891-2477 or www.incredibrew.com. Why drink apple cider when you can have apple wine? IncrediBrew’s Granny Smith concoction is light on the alcohol, but strong on the fruit. Surprisingly, the normally tart Granny Smith gave this wine a sweet flavor, making it perfect for a dessert beverage, but too sweet for dinner. This apple lover paired the wine with a generous piece of apple pie, which is a highly recommended pairing.

Apple Pie PRICE: $2.45. WHERE: Patisserie Bleu, 215 Main St., Nashua. 886-0007 or www.patisseriebleu.com. This slice had thick-cut apples wrapped up in a bed of cinnamon and sugar, topped with a crunchy cinnamon-flavored coating. Patisserie Bleu’s apple pie is just that: traditional and downright satisfying. While served cold at the bakery, this diner highly suggests heating it in the microwave for a few seconds before diving in with a fork. Although the side of whipped cream was too dense and sweet to accompany this tart-and-sweet pie, the pie itself was full of simple and familiar flavors. Apple pie isn’t broken, so why fix it?

Apple & Cheddar Omelet PRICE: $5.95. WHERE: City Room Cafe, 105 W. Pearl St., Nashua. 882-5016. Pairing apples with cheese is nothing new, but adding eggs to the mix is quite innovative. The City Room Cafe’s Apple & Cheddar Omelet was filled with apple slices smothered in not-entirely-melted cheddar cheese, pressed between a cloud of fluffy, buttery eggs. The main flavor of this dish came from the sharp cheddar cheese, and the occasional crunch of the thinly sliced apple was a needed texture against the soft eggs. Needless to say, the combination of eggs, cheese and apples is one underused combination.

Caramel Apple PRICE: $4.99. WHERE: Frederick’s Pastries, 109 Route 101A, Amherst. 877-882-7725 or www.pastry.net. Coated in a thick layer of what tasted like homemade caramel, and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips, this caramel apple was nothing short of decadent. Although the staff at Frederick’s was hesitant to make more candy apples on a Saturday afternoon, getting one fresh made all the difference. The caramel was soft enough to avoid teeth shattering and was just sweet enough to offset the sourness of the Granny Smith underneath it.

Apple Dumpling PRICE: $4.99. WHERE: Bruster’s Ice Cream, 621 Amherst St., Nashua. 881-9595 or www.brustersnh.com. For the fall, Bruster’s accompanies its homemade vanilla ice cream with a warm apple dumpling. The soft, buttery crust is filled with hot apple slices and fragrant cinnamon, while the creamy vanilla ice cream melts accordingly on the side. Although the dumpling was obviously microwaved (it is fast food, after all), it tasted fresh and succeeded as a comforting fall dessert – not to mention every last bite was easily lapped up.