Rum-soaked Baked Apples



I only wish you could smell how glorious these are!

I'd had two Bramley Apples roosting in the fridge, looking for something to do, for far too long.

So, in the face of hubby's dislike of Baked Apples, I thought I'd give myself a treat and see whether our son was going to come down on his father's side, or on mine, as regards the loveliness that is the baked apple.

I find it very difficult to understand hubby's dislike of the humble baked apple, although I do recognise that some people just don't like certain textures, or flavours, or looks of food.  Personally, there's little I don't like sufficiently to make me avoid it, so understanding someone else's dislikes is particularly difficult.

For me, the sight of a couple of lovely Bramley Apples just out of the oven, brimming with mixed fruit, covered with brown sugar, trickles of butter running down their foamy sides, glistening with juice and just asking to be paired with a dollop of cream, is one of life's joys.

For hubby, he sees nothing appealing in this picture at all.  He prefers his apples to be crisp and sharp rather than cooked and foamy, the sugar to be cooked (as in melted) rather than crunchy and just can't relate to the pairing of butter with apple.

So, with instructions not to say anything that will put son off trying them, we sallied forth into dessert.  Son had seen the apples just out of the oven and by the size of his eyeballs and the watering of his mouth, the signs were good.  Not only did he clear his bowlful, but he came back for seconds and ate the remainder for dessert the following day.

I have to admit, it was good to have him follow his Mum in something - for once!

RUM-SOAKED BAKED APPLES (feeds 3-4)

Ingredients :

2 large Bramley Apples
4-6 tsp soft brown sugar
4 tbsp dried mixed fruit
1 lemon, zested
half a tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp spiced rum
butter

Method :

1.  Place the mixed fruit, cinnamon and lemon zest into a small bowl and pour the rum over.  Leave it to soak for 2-3 hours.

2.  Remove the cores from the apples, without cutting them in half.

3.  Score around the middle of the apple, so that when it cooks, the peel can rise.

4.  Score two lines from the top to the first score line.  This will help when it comes to serving half an apple.

5.  Place the apples into a baking dish.

6.  Fill the cavities with the soaked fruit & divide any liquid between them.

7.  Place a knob of butter on top of the fruit, and press down.

8.  Fill the remaining cavity (to overflowing) with the brown sugar.  Sprinkle the remainder around the apples.

9.  Add a tbsp or two of water (the amount depends on the size of your dish and the amount of rum you've included) to ensure the apples don't dry out.

10.  Bake at 180deg for 35-40 minutes or until a knife runs through the apple (via the centre split) easily.

Serve with cream, creme fraiche, or greek yoghurt.

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