Comfort Food

Winter is here, I think. We have settled into the low 30's and snow is expected tomorrow. That means it's time to start cooking some fall/winter comfort food. This could be a big mistake on my part since I love my own cooking. HA! I'm trying to make things that taste good, but are not overloaded with sugar,salt or the dreaded FAT! Unfortunately, this recipe does not fall into any of those categories. Oh well, it has an apple in it so that ought'a count for something, right?

My first attempt was not pretty. As I went to take them out of the oven, I was shocked to see that all of the apples had exploded right out of their little skins! Well, I couldn't give any of those to the neighbors!

Okay, these look terrible, but they still tasted delicious. 

What did I do wrong? Were my apples overripe? Was my convection oven to blame? I had no answers. So of course, I Googled, "Why did my baked apples explode?" And guess what? I got tons of information about my exploding apples. There were suggestions to peel the whole apple; peel the top of the apple; cut slits in the apple; and score the apple around the middle. I went with a combo of peeling the top of the apple and scoring around the middle. I've included pictures with my steps below. I know, I know, I should write a cooking blog, right? I'll think about it.....

Okay, start with four medium baking apples or five small apples. Core them, but leave a bit of the apple on the bottom so that the gooey, yumminess stays in the apple, instead of leaking out the bottom. Use an apple corer and scoop out the pulp with a melon baller or small spoon. Then peel about an inch of the skin around the top and score the apple around the middle.

Peeled and scored.

Cored, peeled and scored apples ready to be filled with the yummy filling.

Now, mix up the oatmeal, brown sugar and spices, and pack it into the apples.  Put a little dab of butter on the top of each one... just a little dab'l do ya!

Ready to be baked. Pour the apple juice in the dish before baking.

Thirty minutes later, and Voila! You have beautiful baked apples! I'm gonna serve mine with "salted carmel" gelato. Yeah, Baby! Delish!

Yumm! 

Here's the actual recipe. Remember to peel those apples around the top and score them around the middle or you'll end up with a crazy mess o' apple explosion like I did!

Baked Apples

4 medium baking apples, like Jonagold or Fuji, or 5 small apples
1/4 cup brown sugar 
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch cloves
1 tablespoon butter, divided in four pieces
1/2 cup apple juice or water

Pre-heat oven to 375°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. If using a convection oven, Pre-heat to 350°F.

Remove the core of the apples, cutting to within a half inch of the bottom of the apple and creating a well roughly 3/4-inch wide. This is easy to do with an apple corer, but can also be done with a melon baller or a paring knife.

Mix the brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture between the apples, packing the wells firmly.

Arrange the apples in a baking dish, and top each one with a pat of butter. Pour the apple juice or water around the apples.

Bake for 40 minutes in a traditional oven or 30 minutes in a convection oven. Test the apples by poking a paring knife through the oatmeal mixture and into the interior of the apple; it should slide into the apple easily with no resistance. The skin on the apples will also become wrinkled and soft by the end of cooking.

Serve with a scoop of ice cream, gelato or whipped cream. Enjoy!