Cider “Baked” Apples

While looking for baked apple recipes, one quick and easy recipe called “Cider Baked Apples” caught my eye. I found it in that challenging type of old cookbook where the ingredients are hidden in the text of the recipe instead of listed conveniently at the beginning. This forced me to do something I often neglect – to read to the end of the directions before starting to cook. In doing so, I discovered something curious about the recipe - despite the name, the apples are boiled, not baked. The recipe provided no amounts and was vague enough on directions that it inspired me to experiment. I hope you will too.

Ingredients:

  • 4 apples – cored, with bottoms in tact

  • Sweet cider – 1.5-2 cups

  • Zest from ½ lemon

  • Brown sugar (optional)

Directions:

  1. Place the cored apples in a saucepan.

  2. Add enough cider to the saucepan so that it comes half way up the sides of the apples.

  3. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and cover the pan.

  4. Simmer gently for 10-20 minutes until the apples are tender but have not exploded into sauce. Test them with a fork every few minutes, then remove each apple from the pan with a slotted spoon when each reaches the desired consistency.

  5. Return the saucepan with the cider to the heat. Add lemon zest and sugar if your cider isn’t very sweet. I used cider that had started to ferment because that was I what I had available; it was fairly tart so I added ¼ cup of brown sugar. If the cider had been sweeter, I would have added less sugar or omitted it completely.

  6. Bring to a rapid boil, and boil until the liquid is reduced to a cup and has the consistency of maple syrup or runny jelly. While it is boiling, taste it, and add more sugar or lemon zest as desired. Remember the sweetness will increase as the cider thickens.

  7. Pour the cider syrup over the apples. Serve plain, with ice cream or maple yogurt.