Recipe: Baked Apples

Recipe

Baked Apples

Serving Size: 6
Preparation Time: 1:00

Ingredients

7 each apples Courtland medium size
1 cup sugar
1/2 each lemon
water for the pan 1-1/4 inches deep

Apple Debris

1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon or to taste
1 cup sugar
1/2 each lemon
2 tbs butter
1 pint cream heavy (for service)

Preparation

Peel the top 1/3 of the apples (stem end) and core the apples. Let the debris go into a pot. Set the peeled apples into a baking pan with 1-1/4 inches of water, peeled side down. The water should come just to the peel line. Add sugar. Squeeze in some lemon juice.
With a fork, prick the peeled section of the apple all over. While you are at it, prick each apple a few times along the equator, so they are less likely to burst. Place the apples in a 350 F oven and bake until they begin to swell and are 2/3 soft. You can test them with a paring knife. You should feel some resistance to the point about halfway to the center. It is important not to overcook the apples at this stage or you will have baked applesauce when you are done. Remove them from the oven. Light the broiler.

The sugar water in the pan is to soften the macerated apple tops more than the apple, yet to firm them with sugar. Drain and reduce this juice to a light syrup. Turn apples stem side up in the pan.
As soon as the apples are in the oven, put the peels and cores into a pot with water, sugar and some cinnamon. Add any bruised apples you may have. If you haven't any bruised apples, sacrifice one into this pot. Put a cover on this pot and cook on medium heat for five minutes. This is done while the apples are in the oven. Uncover and cook away almost all the water. You need to stir with a wooden spoon when you do this so it doesn't caramelize. If it gets too dry to work easily, add some syrup from the pan.
Put this through a food mill. Put this apple purée glaze on the side. If you chose nice red apples it will have a pretty color. It should be very sweet, almost cloying. If not add some of the syrup to the glaze. You may want to add a squeeze more of lemon as a matter of taste.
Light the broiler. Use a large spoon to put the glaze over the tops of the apples, where you stuck them all over with a fork. This part of the apple will be somewhat mushy, as compared to the rest of the apple, which will have some firmness left. There is never quite enough glaze to suit me, which is why I sacrificed an extra apple in with the debris. The glaze should cling to the rough surface of the top. You can re-spoon some over the top. Add the syrup to the pan, and place the pan on a sheet pan so that it is easy to handle when you put it under the broiler. You will need two dry towels or pot holders to manage it.
Now you are going to put the tray under the broiler. The idea is to caramelize the sugar glaze on top of the apples just a little. A slight burn here and there looks good. When you see the tops of the apples bubble (the sugar is cooking) turn the tray in the broiler so the front goes to the back to even the cooking. This process requires your full attention. If you do this right, the apples will not collapse. They warn you by the ones at the back starting to puff up at the sides. When they do, turn the tray. When the tops are glazed nicely they are done.

Let them cool to room temperature. Then you can transfer each one to an individual dish. Pour some of the syrup from the pan over them. They are best warm from the oven. When they are cold, the juice sometimes jells. This is natural, and means you did a good job. Of course you can warm them up a little for service. Heavy cream or Creme Anglaise (Pastry cream and heavy cream, half and half) is good with this.