Calville Blanc d’Hiver Apples

Talk about your fancy apple names. It doesn’t get any more high class than Calville Blanc d’Hiver (meaning Calville’s white winter). This French apple has been around since the early 1600s!!! It became a popular choice in Normandy. Yes it’s older than our country. It’s an unusual apple with it’s lumpy appearance. Some specimen have some beautiful red blush.

I found this apple at the Produce Station in Ann Arbor, MI. They were grown by Poverty Lane Orchards in New Hampshire.

My Experience with this Apple (Rating Scale 1-10)

Overall Feeling: A tart apple that isn’t too much to eat out of hand. It has a nice flavor with hints of spice. I can’t wait to cook with one of these. The shape of this apple and it’s ability to hold it’s shape when baked make an ideal choice for stuffed baked apple. It’s said to be the apple choice for tarte aux pommes, a French apple tart that the queen of French cooking in America – Julia Child made.

Here are some apple related kitchen tools I recommend:
Amco Dial-A-Slice Adjustable Apple Corer and Slicer : Allows you to slice apples into either 8 or 16 pieces
Zyliss Soft Skin Peeler : The best peeler I have ever owned. Does a great job peeling an apple.
Mirro Foley 2-Quart Stainless Steel Food Mill : A great tool for making your own applesauce. You can make the sauce without having to do any peeling.