I had a hankering for something sweet this evening but, since I don't keep sweets in the house in order to keep from inhaling several portions worth of them in one go when the mood strikes, I was out of luck. Still, I had apples and there was a chill to the air, so I decided to go ahead and bake one.
Though in this case it was a last minute proposition, this is a proper autumn dessert and quite easy to make as well. The apple got all soft and fragrant, the brown sugar, spice and butter in the center melted as the apple cooked, and the cold Bourbon cream poured over the hot apple was a really nice addition. Creature of the Black Lagoon image aside, this certainly hit the spot.
1 cooking apple; I used a Gala apple, an organic one so I could eat the peel
2 tsps butter, softened
2 tsps + 1 tsp brown sugar
liberal pinch of ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 tsp Bourbon
1/4 cup water
Preheat the oven to 350.
Core the apple, making sure that you have removed all of the pips and that you have not broken through the bottom or the butter will drip out during cooking.
In a small bowl, quickly whisk the butter, two teaspoons of the sugar and the ground cinnamon together. Stuff this into the space where the apple core used to be.
Place the apple in a small oven safe dish and gently pour in the water. Cover with foil.
Place in the oven and bake for thirty to fifty minutes until the apple is very soft. I tested this by gingerly touching the side and seeing if the fruit gave easily as of the thirty minute mark.
While the apple is cooking, dissolve the remaining sugar in the Bourbon. Once it has dissolved, add the cream and mix to combine. Set aside in the fridge until the apple comes out of the oven.
Pour liberally over the hot apple before serving. It will mix deliciously with the hot butter and sugar mixture as you cut the apple open.