Lazy baked apple

[altivo]

Take a large cooking apple (not a red delicious, something like a Spy or a Jonathan or even a Granny Smith, firm and tart) and peel the top hemisphere. Using a small spoon or a melon ball tool, scoop out the stem, core and seeds without puncturing the bottom, so there is now a hollow center that can be stuffed.

Pack a teaspoonful of raisins or currants, mixed with and equal amount of brown sugar, into the center hole and top it with a small pat of butter. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Place the whole thing in a microwavable dish and cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Microwave until the apple starts to soften and the stuffing bubbles up out of the center. (About four to five minutes for two apples, less for one.)

It will be very hot, so let it stand for a few minutes before eating. Scoop ice cream or whipped cream over the top just before serving.

(These can also be baked in the oven, which is more traditional and browns the outside a bit more but tastes about the same in the end and takes quite a while longer (20-30 minutes up to an hour.)

Just made this with Melrose apples. The butter melts and mixes with apple juice and the brown sugar, making a delectable gravy that contrasts nicely with the tart apple. The cooler ice cream adds a second contrast.

'Tis the season for good apples, at least here in the Northern Hemisphere. Give it try.

Comments

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

I still say you need to try roasting apples over a fire. :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Too messy. ;p And I'd have to make a fire, which means finding a place to do it.

[corelog.livejournal.com]

Sounds good! :)

I was contemplating having to buy apples today, because all the green peppers in the store were icky. But I never liked apples, having been forced to eat them every so often--and raw, not cut up! They hurt my teeth because they were too cold from the fridge.

I don't mind apples so much nowadays, of course, even if I do tend to stain them pink if they're too hard and I'm not careful enough. But I don't buy them of my own volition, unless I absolutely have to. In this case, bananas were available instead, and much cheaper than the apples (by a full 60 cents per comparable weight).

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. If biting apples makes your gums bleed, then I have to start nagging you about that too. What good is a wuff with no teeth? ;p

Apples weren't my favorite when I was a foal, either. My brothers liked them, and I preferred almost any other fruit. However, part of that was the fact that grocery stores tend to sell the worst varieties. The ones that look good and are easy to ship, but often have the least flavor and aroma. Once I learned what REAL apples are like, as opposed to those plastic thingies they have in most supermarkets, I was hooked. The biggest clue: avoid the "red delicious" because it's a travesty.

[corelog.livejournal.com]

I never preferred red delicious. I liked golden delicious, though--they were my favorite. Never cared much for the tart varieties you seem to like so much. But who knows? As we mature, tastes change, usually from sweet to tart, my informal observations would suggest.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, if you make apples into pies or apple crisp, you can easily add enough sugar to satisfy you wish for sweet stuff. I've never been fond of sweet for its own sake, though, and the slightly tart, juicy apples have much more flavor and smell.

Many of the apples I like for just plain eating are still sweet, or moderately so. But they also have a little "edge" to them. Jonathans or Macintosh are good if they haven't sat around and turned mushy. The yellow delicious are OK, but really seem like a pale ghost of an apple to me when compared to something like a ginger gold or a honeycrisp.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

*finds a Bramley*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We don't get those over here, but my apple manual says they're pretty good. :)

[vimsig.livejournal.com]

reminds me of my youth

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Be young again. Eat an apple. ;D

[alaskawolf.livejournal.com]

oh that is yet another good sounding meal :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

And extremely easy.

[typographer.livejournal.com]

[voice="Homer Simpson"] Mmmmmmm, baked Granny Smith apples! [/voice]

I've never tried baking apples in the microwave.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Works fine. They just don't brown quite as readily. I imagine if you want the browning, you could run them under the broiler briefly.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

*brings in toffee for dunking :)*