Recipe: Baked Apples with Fresh Ginger, Dates, Almonds and Rum

4 servings

I always use a good firm apple for baking. Some varieties can turn too soft when baked, such as Macintosh. My favorite apple varieties for this recipe include Sierra Beauty, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Winesap. If you don't want to use the rum, use 1/2 cup apple juice instead.

1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup apple juice

1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2 teaspoons flour
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
2 egg yolks
grated zest of half a lemon
1/2 cup whole almonds, toasted and chopped

8 -10 dates, fresh or dried, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 large apples

Additional melted butter for brushing the pan & the apples.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. Butter a 9-inch baking dish. Add 1/4 cup rum and 1/4 cup apple juice.

2. Stir together the brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, flour, heavy cream, grated ginger, egg yolks and lemon zest.

3. Add the chopped almonds and dates.

4. Using an melon baller, remove the stem end of the apple, then dig out the core. Be sure to remove all membranes and seeds. With a vegetable peeler, remove a 1-inch strip of the peel from around the top of the cavity.

5. Stuff cavities to the top with date filling, but do not overfill. Brush the exposed flesh of the apples with melted butter then set them in the baking dish.

6. Bake the stuffed apples for about 30 minutes until the apples are cooked through. Baste with the juices occasionally as they cook.(Depending on the apples that you use, the time can vary. Check them by piercing the flesh with a sharp knife). If the filling is browning too quickly, cover the baking dish loosely with foil while the apples finish baking.

7. Remove from oven and serve the apples warm with a small pitcher of cold heavy cream.

Note: Baked apples can be cooked in advance then covered and rewarmed before serving.