Baked Apples

My favorite time of the month is when Gourmet Magazine arrives in my mailbox. Last weekend I was inspired by the Vegetable Stew served in a baked Pumpkin in the November Issue.  When I am inspired it usually means a dinner is coming soon.  I had no idea what I was taking on exactly but definitely a large endeavor for my tiny little space.
If you try this stew I recommend making the stoock in advance and not making the entire stew in one day. As I was happy with the Vegetable Stew, I was most enamored by the Baked Apples and Calvados Ice Cream I had made for dessert.  What was even more amazing about them was how simple and easy they were it was 6pm, people were arriving at 7, and I curlers in my hair and still had not started the Baked Apples. Because my beloved stew had taken so long to make!!

Baked Apples

8 Apples (I used Cortland)
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
2/3 Cup Raisins
1/3 Cup Dried Apricot
1/3 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 Tablespoons of Flour
5 tablespoons of Melted butter
¾ Cup Sparkling Apple Cider
1 teaspoon of vanilla
¼ Teaspoon of All Spice
½ Teaspoon of Cinnamon

Preheat 400

Using a melon Baller take out the core of each apple.
In a separate bowl mix together sugar, raisins, apricots, pecans, flour, cinnamon, and all spice. Add three table spoons of butter and vanilla. Stuff each of the apples with the sugar mixture and brush the remaining butter around the apples. Right before baking top off by pouring apple cider over the top of the apples.
Bake for 1 hour or until apples have softened.

Posted by Patty in Fruit, Recipes, Sweets. 1 Comment »

Best Apples for Baking

Have you ever had the experience of using an apple that is not good for baking? I can perfectly remember the time years ago, I had made an apple pie and used Fuji Apples. My father had been boasting all evening that I was this great cook/baker and then I was completely mortified when I delivered a juice-less pie for dessert. So next time you are in the market getting ready to buy some apples for baking here are some good ones to use!

-Granny Smith
-Golden Delicious
-McIntosh
-Rome
-Cortland

Posted by Patty in Fruit, Tips, Terms & Tools. No comments »

Calvados Ice Cream

I have not talked about my ice cream maker. It is one of my FAVORITE  tools in the kitchen and one of my FAVORITE gifts to give. I got this idea to make calvados ice cream from always seeing liquored flavored whipped creams and thought why not do the same with ice cream but make and apple brandy flavor that could go with an apple dessert.
I have a tendency to try and rush things along when I am cooking – with custards the base of the ice cream…Not a good idea. It will most likely lead to a curdled useless custard, which is what I did the first time.

Calvados Ice Cream
2 Cups of Heavy Cream
1 ½ Cup of Milk
3 Egg Yolks
½ Cup of Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Corn Starch
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla
1-2 Tablespoon of Calvados Brandy

In a pot bring to a boil the Cream, Milk, and Vanilla. In a separate bowl beat the egg Yolks, Sugar, and Corn Starch. Pour ½ Cup of the boiling Cream into the egg mixture to temper,  it so that it does not curdle. Proceed this way until all of the Cream has been well combined.  Return the mixture to the stove and heat on low to medium heat- stirring until custard starts to bubble. To know it is done test is with a wooden spoon. If you dip the spoon and then make a line in the back of the spoon with your finger and the line holds shape then it is done. At this point add the 1 the Calvados. Remove and place into a separate bowl and refrigerate. Once cooled completely pour into Ice- Cream Maker.

Posted by Patty in Fruit, Recipes, Sweets. No comments »