Baked Apples With A Twist

The Classic

Baked apples are a favourite dessert choice during the winter months. First of all, it's an excuse to keep your oven going a bit longer. The house is always that much warmer for it. Secondly, apples are relatively easy to come by no matter the time of year, at not too great a cost. Infused with some warm winter spices, baked in sugar, rum, and butter, they are a soul-warming treat. But after a long grey winter all I can think about is the coming spring, so I've decided to inject my winter treat with a little reminder that grey is not forever, that the sun will be here soon.

The Twist

A splash of orange juice and a hint of zest take these apples to a whole new level. A hint of star anise brings me to exotic climes. Orange infused whip cream ties it all together.

This is inspired by a recipe over at http://vegeyum.wordpress.com/2007/12/05/bakedapples/

• 3 - Medium sized apples, I used granny smith
• 1 - Orange, juice and zest
  
• 1 Tbsp - Rum
  
• 1/2 Cup - Raisins
• 2 Tbsp - Unsalted butter
  
• 9 - Pepper corns
• 1 to 6 - Cloves, as desired
  
• 3 - Whole star anise
• 1/4 Cup - Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup - White sugar
• 1/4 tsp - salt
• 1/2 Cup - Walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted
  
• 1/3 Cup - Heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 375° F (unless you are using a Romertopf; then start it in a cold oven and turn heat to 425 ° F)
   
   
2. Juice orange. Reserve 1 Tbsp of juice. Mix the rest with zest and rum. Soak raisins in mixture for 30 mins.
   
   
3. Core apples and put in a baking pan. I used my Romertopf clay-baker. Pour orange-rum mixture over and around apples, holding back the raisins. Fill the apples with raisins, butter, and brown sugar. Top each apple with a whole star anise. Place pepper corns and cloves in bottom of pan with orange-rum mixture. Put baking pan in oven for 30-45 mins. Test for doneness by poking apples with a fork.
   
   
4. While apples are baking, mix sugar and salt and put in a heavy pan. Heat pan on medium-high heat. Do not stir. Once sugar begins to melt, stir mixture with a fork until it is fully melted and begins to turn a golden hue. Toss walnuts into pan and remove from heat. Quickly stir to coat walnuts, then pour walnuts onto a piece of parchment. Separate the walnuts before they stick together.
   
   
5. Whip cream with reserved orange juice, zest, and sweeten as desired.
   
   
6. Place cooked apples on a plate. Pour juices from the bottom of the baking pan over the apples, reserving the peppercorns. Remove the star anise from each apple, give the apple a dollop of whip cream, and replace the star anise. Garnish the plate with the peppercorns and scatter candied walnuts about. A twist of orange adds a final flourish!