Apples

I offered to bring dessert to my friend Julie’s party yesterday. When she accepted I knew right away I wanted to bake apples. Apples are primal, biblical, and, ‘tis the season.

So I did, and brought them to Julie’s still warm from the oven, with a bowl of cold whipped cream on the side. It stole the show when Julie put them out on her buffet table; everyone sang their praises; someone said, “best I ever had,” and one handsome fellow caught my eye and mouthed the words, “I love you,” from across the room.

Here’s what I did:

Bought 8 large, shiny, dark red Roma apples and prepared a filling with brown sugar, chopped pecans, chopped white raisins, cinnamon, tiny bit of lemon juice (what remained from the plunge bath), salt, butter. (Sorry, I don’t measure)

Cored the apples & peeled off about an inch around the top opening, then immediately plunged the exposed parts into a small bowl of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Then I dropped a chunk of butter into the cavities, and stuffed them, pushing in as much filling as possible, & piled it high. Placed another chunk of butter on top of the pile & topped it with a pecan.

Poured a glass of water mixed with plum wine in the bottom of the baking pan. It tasted good so I poured another glass for me, and then repeated both actions about an hour later, when I noticed most of the liquid had cooked off.

They baked for a good half hour in a hot oven. & then I covered them (not tightly) with aluminum foil to prevent the filling from burning. They took nearly two hours to get done. The house smelled like heaven.

Just before I left for the party, I beat up the bowl of whipped cream – with nothing added – as though heaven was not enough.

Even without my apples it was a great party.

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