I enjoy experimenting with unique flavours in my cooking, utilizing leftover Granny Smith apples in an air fryer and risotto, while altering traditional ingredients like pancetta, bacon, tomato, and mushrooms.

“Risotto is a creamy Northern Italian rice dish made with high-starch short-grain rice like Arborio, often enriched with vegetables or lean proteins for nutrients. It provides quick energy but can be high in calories, sodium, and saturated fats. Ingredients like mushrooms, spinach, garlic, and onion add antioxidants that reduce inflammation. Adding apples and craisins brings nutritional, textural, and flavour benefits while reducing the need for excess cheese or cream. Cranberries and apples offer antioxidants, support cardiovascular health, and may improve insulin sensitivity.”

I substitute buttermilk for cream cheese in my risotto and add craisins and air fryer baked apple, which turns out beautifully soft. I aim to explore different food combinations for comforting dishes while improving my time management skills, and I’m finding joy in my unique recipes that aren’t found on Google.

My apple and buttermilk risotto offers a sophisticated balance of sweet-tart, savoury, and creamy flavours, with caramelized apple sweetness and tangy buttermilk cutting through the richness of the rice, resulting in a lighter dish than traditional cream-based risottos.

Ingredients

Apple craisins risotto

150 g arborio rice
1 Tbs garlic minced
300 ml hot boiling water
3 Granny Smith apples, wash and drain, peel and cut to bite size, divided
25 ml buttermilk
30 ml apple cider, plus more if needed
50 g Grana Padano cheese, grated finely
25 g craisins
1 Tbs oil
25 g margarine
salt
pepper

Air fryer baked apple with craisins

1 Granny Smith
1 Tbs dried craisins
1/2 Tbs butter
a pinch or two cinnamon powder

Method

Air fryer baked apple with craisins

Roughly chopped dried craisins, place in a small bowl, and sprinkles cinnamon over it. Stir to mix well. Set aside. Melt butter in microwave at interval of 3 seconds until melted and set aside. Let it cool slightly. Then add melted butter into craisins and cinnamon mixture, and toss to coat well. Set aside.

Wash the apple and place it on a stable, flat surface or cutting board. Position the sharp edge of the apple corer over the stem, aiming directly down through the center of the apple. Apply even pressure with both hands, pushing the corer down while twisting gently to slice through the flesh.

Do not push the corer all the way through the base. Stop about 3/4 of the way down to create a “cup” for your filling. Twist the corer and pull it back out. The core should come out in one piece. Note: If any seeds remain at the bottom, use a small spoon or a melon baller if you have one; to scoop them out, keeping the base intact.

Spoon the craisins cinnamon and butter mixture into the hole of the apples, filling all the way to the top. Note: Gently press in but don’t stuff too much. Place apple in the baking dish. Bring out air fryer cup container. Gently and carefully place stuffed apple in the baking dish into the bottom of the flat metal holes holder of air fryer. Then place the cup back into the machine. Switch on the plug and set the temperature and time. Bake at 180 degrees C for firm apple, take them out at 8-10 minutes, a bit firm and not too soft for 12-14. For, softer apples, bake them for 15-17 minutes. I baked mine for 11-12 minutes.

When air fryer apple time is up, bring out the cup. It’s very hot, so put it on double plate mats. To test if apple had softened a bit, prick with fork. Switch off air fryer. Let apple sit for 3-5 minutes before removing the apple from air fryer. After 5 minutes, open the cup a jar carefully and making sure apple don’t fall over and making sure apple stuffing are intact; to keep apple warm while cooking risotto.

Apple craisins risotto

Using juicer machine, juice 2 apples first and set aside. Then juice the remaining apple and set aside separately. In a pot, heat oil for 1 minute, add garlic and brown slightly. Meantime put kettle on. Add rice, toss around in garlic for 30 seconds. Add apple cider to the rice after toasting in garlic, and cook until it is almost completely reduced to a syrupy glaze before adding hot water.

Slowly add water, wait till water is absorbed before adding a little bit. Stir a couple of time. Continue to add a little bit of water. Stir again to prevent from sticking. Now add craisins, and 2 apple juice; stir to mix well making sure rice and craisins are coated in apple juice. Add the last bit of water. Give a couple of stir. Then add margarine and the remaining one apple juice, toss to combine. Turn to low heat, stirring occasionally and let it cook through.

Turn off hob. Add cheese, salt and pepper. Stir to mix well. Stir buttermilk in at the very end of the cooking process, to create a creamy, tangy finish without curdling it, while its acidity cuts through the sweetness of the apple cider and adds a tangy richness to the dish.

Spoon onto warm bowl and place baked apple with craisins in the middle of apple craisins risotto. Serve immediately with a glass of white wine. Enjoy!!!!!

Note: You may want to use vegetables stock instead of boiling water. You can add spinach and arugula, chili flakes instead of craisins and air fryer baked apple with craisins. You may use blackberries, and strawberries or raspberries. You may want to add cherries tomatoes for colouring your risotto.

https://helenscchin.com/2023/04/12/apple-craisins-risotto-with-air-fryer-baked-apple/

For my Baked apple with craisins (Oven baked) recipe:

https://helenscchin.com/2023/04/12/baked-apple-with-craisins-oven-baked/

For my Blueberry risotto with bacon spinach and arugula recipe:

https://helenscchin.com/2021/02/01/blueberry-risotto-with-bacon-spinach-and-arugula/

For my Strawberry risotto with prawns and chili flakes recipe:

https://helenscchin.com/2026/02/05/strawberry-risotto-with-prawns-and-chili-flakes/

For my Tomato risotto recipe:

https://helenscchin.com/2021/02/09/tomato-risotto/

For my Mediterranean risotto recipe: 

https://helenscchin.com/2019/07/09/mediterranean-vegetarian-risotto/

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