BY KAREN BOSSICK

Darci Swanson has long shared a unique community—that of Sun Valley residents who also are involved in the Yakima apple industry, either as growers or processors.

She recently took Eye on Sun Valley’s Marie Gallo on a tour of her orchard in Yakima. And Eye on Sun Valley’s film crew also had the opportunity to tour an apple processing plant started by two Sun Valley men.

Then Darci returned to Marie’s Kitchen where she showed Marie how to make an easy show-stopper  Austrian/Bavarian Apple Torte. “When we bought an apple orchard, I went on a search for apple recipes. I found this wonderful recipe and adapted it to my tastes,” she said.

Darci’s Austrian/Bavarian Apple Torte

1.5 sticks of unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sugar

1.5 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Two 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 or 4 apples (or other fruit), thinly sliced (Fujis, Granny Smith, Jonagold and Honeycrisp work well)

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup slivered almonds

Crème fraiche

To make the crust, mix the softened butter and ½ cup sugar together; stir in the flour gently so that it is the consistency of a slightly crumbly cookie dough. Press the dough into the bottom of a 9- to 10-inch springform pan right up to the edges.

For the filling, combine the cream cheese and ¼ cup sugar until well blended; add two eggs and vanilla. When blended, pour over the crust and smooth out evenly to the edges.

For the apple mixture, combine ½ cup sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss the peeled apple slices in the bowl until the apples are covered. Place apples carefully in a pinwheel format on top of the cream cheese filling.

Put springform pan on a sturdy baking sheet; bake for 40 minutes. Take out, sprinkle with slivered almonds and return to oven for 20 to 30 additional minutes. When finished, the center should be set without much jiggling. Remove from oven and let cool. The torte will continue to firm as it cools. Serve warm with crème fraiche.

You can make this torte in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator for a day or two before serving. It can also be frozen and brought to room temperature or warmed up a bit before serving.