Some would argue that baked apples aren’t a dessert at all. But I beg to differ. If you manage to get some organic apples of the smallest variety (such as lady apples), this is the best way to use them up. A mid-week treat to surprise your family when you’re in a rush – these will be ready while you heat up your lunch and eat it.
If you wish to play around, you can add some spices. The ubiquitous cinnamon is the obvious choice, but also cardamom or even rosemary will work great. Also, caramel. That’s not the traditional way of serving these, but a bit of the gooey sweet substance never hurt anyone, right?
This is something my grandmother often makes and if I’ve learned anything over the years it’s this: do as your grandmother does. Here’s why – grandmas have lived long enough to see what works and what doesn’t; some of them – like my granny – have also created useful shortcuts which can save you so much time and hassle. Why spend an hour whisking and mixing and kneading on a weekday if you can pop a few apples in the oven and make a bunch of people happy?
BAKED APPLES
Serves four
Recipe from the cookbook What’s Cooking in Dubrovnik
INGREDIENTS
16 small apples or four large ones, washed, unpeeled
sugar or whipped cream or both
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Pour some water into your baking pan. There shouldn’t be too much of it – it should only cover the bottom.
Arrange the apples in the prepared baking pan in a single layer and bake them until they wrinkle. The baking time will depend on the size and ripeness of the fruit you’re using so keep an eye on their appearance.
In case you’re baking larger apples, bake them until they crack slightly.
You can serve these either warm or cold, sprinkled with some sugar and with some whipped cram on the side.
