M.F.K. Fisher: Cinnamon Milk

C is for Cinnamon Milk.

When I was pregnant, every few days I would secretly wash down my prenatal vitamins with milk and sugar. After making Fisher's cinnamon milk, I know now I should have added cinnamon. The recipe calls for a pint of milk and a teaspoon of cinnamon heated together in a double boiler. Simple and easy. She suggested serving it as cream or over baked apples. I liked it as milk and might mix milk and cinnamon together in the future to make coffee creamer, but I won't bother heating it. As for topping the baked apples: not worth it. The liquid for the apples separated with the milk and looked bad, I couldn't finish my apple.

Thanksgiving is this week which makes me think of my family's holiday traditions and foods. We don't have many traditional foods. Maybe ham and turkey, but no Aunt Such and Such's stuffing. We DO have Red Apples from my Great Grandma Purdy.

Red Apples

6 Large, peeled and quartered Red Delicious Apples
3 cups or so water
1 to 1 1/3 cups sugar
1 package Cinnamon red imperial Candy
3 to 4 drops red food coloring

Mix all but food coloring in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir to melt candies, let boil a minute then cover and turn to low. Check with a fork after about 15 minutes to see if they are tender, if not, cook another 15 minutes. Stir gently and push apples down into juice. Add red food coloring, stir to mix. Let sit one hour then chill in fridge until ready to serve.


I know Red Delicious are not the best apples for cooking, but Red Delicious are the only variety soft enough to allow the center of the apple slices to become bright red. It never happens with other varietals--trust me, I've tried several times.

Another way to mix cinnamon and apples is to make apple cider in a crock-pot using ingredients similar to the Red Apples. Mix a bag of Red Cinnamon Imperial Candy with apple juice, heat on low. Done. Easy. Good.