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I used to use Golden Delish (with skin on) in my pies. Keeping the skin on, helped maintain the firmness of this otherwise, kind of mushy apple, and their relative sweetness allowed me to cut back on the sugar I would normally add. However, after finding them at the farmer's market in Union Square, I've become a Mutsu/Crispin convert. You only need one (one!) apple to fill an entire, normal depth, pie and these apples compliment traditional pie spices really well. I'm making two for thanksgiving (a regular one and a bacon cheddar one)!

My mom, on the other hand, uses freshly picked Cortland apples and has for years.

I made my first batch of applesauce 35 years ago at the suggestion of my new MIL with Courtlands and since I bought a couple of bushels I would use them for pies and crisps as well. They don't require added sugar and the sauce is pink and the kids always thought that the color made it special. Each year I find I run out sooner than I should since there are more grandkids:-)

Crud. I forgot to add that the oil should be divided in this recipe- use 1/2 cup to start and the rest if the mayo is too thick for your tastes.

Also, adding a little roasted garlic to the mayo for sandwiches is just Heavenly. Of course, if you are going to the trouble of making homemade mayo it isn't much of a stretch to make the bread and create a leftover turkey sandwich that is actually yummy. hee hee

About 1 1/2 hours outside of LA (off the 10) there is a great apple growing region called Oak Glen, you can get all the heirloom varieties you can dream of. My current little bit of apple heaven... Arkansas Black- little sweet, little tart and super crisp. I don't like my fruit cooked, so I have no idea how they would bake, but if you can get your hands on them... so good!

Homemade Mayonnaise is very easy and cheap to make. You can serve it plain or liven it up with herbs, sriracha sauce, or anything else that comes to mind. See the link below for a video instruction. The most important tip is to use a healthy, neutral oil, such as canola oil. The recent mass-marketing of extra virgin olive oil mayo is more about tricking consumers (since most of us know olive oil is healthy) than for achieving optimum flavor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOymdsYMoqQ

i just made the most unbelievable {if i do say so myself} tarte tatin with mostly pink ladies, with some russets, pippins, and winesaps thrown in. heaven!

My new favorite this fall is jonagold for pies. Made a perfect tarte tatin this year: soft, cooked, and held its shape, though with tarte tatin, the apples are more cooked than they are baked. I have to say that in an informal crisp test I performed (I make dinner at a shelter twice a month) golden delicous outperformed granny smith by a mile. The grannies turned to mush while the goldens were sweet and held their shape. I'd think it would be hard to do an apple pie test without any apple pie seasoning though. Who's to say that plain apples in the presence of cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. would still perform the same?

Winesaps! I had forgotten about them. Used to love them and think they were the best in pies! Haven't seen one in ages.

My mom always used Granny Smiths because she is not too big on sugary tastes so I used those until I took a baking class in Philadelphia years ago with a pastry chef from a well known restaurant who ONLY used Golden Delicious. I started using them then and have never looked back but I do sometimes use equal Golden Delicious and Granny Smiths to even out the sweetness. Northern Spy is an interesting thought but Macs and Empires I would think would turn to mush!!!

Empires----an improved descendant of the Macintosh-------tart and crisp to eat and great flavor in pies, applesauce whatever. (Although Honeycrisp are still my faves for eating out of hand fresh---for people who don't see them as special, consider the source was it a supermarket (yuck) or fresh off the tree or farmers market, they don't do so well at room temp so if they've been off the tree for a couple weeks they become pretty inferior unless kept cool.

Add me to the group who give affection to Macs and Cortlands--both are what apples are "supposed" to taste like, to my palate: like a great glass of fresh-milled cider! Both are great bakers, though I prefer Cortlands for pie and sauce and MacIntoshes for crisps or simple baked-apples...Yum.

I made a batch of applesauce this past weekend from Macouns, and was pleased with the results--an interesting fresh-sawed wood back note I've never experienced before. Not my fav, but an interesting twist.

Macs and Courtlands are my favorite baking/cooking apple. they bake down, yet somehow hold part of their shape during cooking. Maybe it's my new england upbringing, but they are the only apple I'll be using next week for my pies.