Baked Apples

[herby]

I am looking for a tasty baked apple recipe. Does anyone have one to share?

[greygarious]

Exploding apples can be avoided by either scoring a continuous ring around the apple about a fourth of the way down from the stem end, or peeling a thin strip all the way around at the same location. If you don't mind eating a tougher skin, or just leaving the skin behind in the bowl, microwaving makes an easy and super-fast baked apple.

In autumn, I mix a stick of butter with brown sugar/maple syrup/cinnamon/crushed nuts/and-or raisins, and press it into a narrow, deep freezer container. Then when I want to make a baked apple, I use a corer to bore out a cylinder of frozen flavored butter, or slice it into logs. Having that frozen butter on hand avoids mixing and cleaning a bowl any time I want to bake an apple or two.

[MazDee]

So am I, but what I am looking for is an apple baked in a pastry crust. My gran did that, but I can't remember how she wrapped them up.

[HillJ]

MazDee, I posted a pastry wrapped baked apple above. Link to Bobs Red Mill.

[blue room]

I use Braeburn apples, filled with brown sugar, walnuts, a few raisins, and cinnamon.
(Kids like those little round red cinnamon candies inside the apple, too.)
Serve warm with cream, or slightly chilled with the sweet cinnamon-y baking juice.

[herby]

Thank you all for great recipes! I am definitely going to make a couple of these in January. Will order vanilla beans too - great price! Very tempted by their saffron and paella pan sounds like a great investment considering that I usually make paella 4-5 times a year...

[marisold]

My grandmother and mother baked apples this way: Peel and core Golden Delicious apples and cut them into quarters. Put into a glass baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and a little nutmeg. Top with bits of butter and add just a little water. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until fully cooked. I usually stir them a time or two while they're baking to distribute everything. I also use maple syrup occasionally instead of the brown sugar. These are a staple at all our family gatherings.

[toodie jane]

I like to use those little individual ceramic apple bakers with the center post. Bakes an apple perfectly so you don't have to add liquid. I just dust the inside with a little cinnamon sugar.

Actually, my favorite apple dish right now is the ever-comforting stewed apples.

[HillJ]

baking appliance, good point. You can also use a metal cupcake tin to hold a batch.

[HillJ]

herby, I use large Rome apples, wash, core and slice the top. I poke a few times into the flesh so the apple doesn't swell while baking.

To the center core of each apple I add: 1/2 a split vanilla bean, generous sprinkle of cinnamon, T. brown sugar, handful of chopped dried apricots or raisins and a generous splash of lemon juice. In a 9x13 pan I'll fill 8 apples this way. Then I pour enough apple cider in the pan to coat just the bottom of the apples. Cover in tin foil and bake in a 350 oven until apples are fork tender (30-45 mins usually). The simple cider sauce is then spooned over the apples and served. Yummy!

[herby]

Thank you, HillJ! Sound yummy and I am going to make it soon. When you say 1/2 a split vanilla bean, you mean to scrape the seeds into the middle of apple, right?

[HillJ]

Actually herby, I only split the vanilla bean down length wise and then stick the entire bean into the center of the apple. After the apples are done cooking I toss the beans.

[herby]

this is very generous of you considering the price of the beans - do you have a source that is not outrageous?

[HillJ]

as a matter of fact I do! http://www.theposter.com/vanilla2.html 100 beans for $20.
A wonderfully reliable seller. Tahitian Vanilla Beans 1 lb - Chef Quality $19.95, if you don't mind mail order.

If you wish to scrap the seeds ahead of time you could add them as is to the mixture or infused in the cider liquid. Or, if you're really okay with reusing the baked vanilla pods over again, let them dry out and reuse. I'm open to suggestions as well herby.

[goodhealthgourmet]

my method and seasonings are quite similar...but i also add ground ginger & cardamom and a splash of pomegranate juice, and i like to use Honeycrisp or Braeburn apples.

[magiesmom]

this is my favorite
http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_w...

[goodhealthgourmet]

magiesmom, your link is broken. i was going to repost it for you, but i don't know which recipe you use - is it Melissa Clark's or Claudia Fleming's?

actually, they're both great recipes, so i'll post both links!
http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2005/10/melissa_clarks_.html
http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_w...

[HillJ]

ghg, I'm sure those apples taste marvelous but the bursting is so unattractive. Which is why I suggested that herby pierce the apple skins ahead of time. Any other tips you'd like to share on baked apples?

[goodhealthgourmet]

i was focused more on flavors - i only glanced at the ingredients in those links, i didn't bother to read their techniques [sheepish grin].

i agree piercing is essential! i've also found that the skins of some apple varieties have less of a tendency to split/burst so violently - that's one of the reasons i like Honeycrisp & Braeburn. they hold up pretty well, and don't get as tough as Romes.

[HillJ]

I love Romes for baked apples best; Honeycrisp & Brae for crisps. Just a preference. A large Rome, pierced cored and filled with goodness is love on a plate!

ghg, ever make a baked apple with blue cheese or another creamy cheese? I made a baked apple with farmer's cheese last sunday including chopped pecans and bits or orange rind. Was darn good!

[goodhealthgourmet]

ghg, ever make a baked apple with blue cheese or another creamy cheese?
~~~~~~~~~~~
yes! Saga blue, Gorgonzola Dolce, Cambozola, or occasionally chevre if i'm feeling goaty...with currants, walnuts & a drizzle of honey.

[HillJ]

Outstanding! I must give this more thought! I also love this recipe for a special take on baked apples or pears:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_de...

[goodhealthgourmet]

wow. so pretty with the "leaves" made of pie dough!

[magiesmom]

I somehow just noticed this now. OY!
I am a claudia follower in this case. I don't mind the bursting, it's how I had them growing up.

[karykat]

I love the claudia fleming recipe too.

For another way to do a pastry wrapped apple (or pear), poach the apple, then wrap little strips of puff pastry around it (so you can see the fruit but the pastry is kind of a cage) either in up or down strips or a spiral, and then bake.