Planning brunch for a full house this weekend?
You could try pumpkin pancakes but not everyone is fond of fooling with flavour around the holidays.
A better bet to spice up your breakfast is a baked apple. Stuff it with oatmeal, dress it with yogurt and honey and find dessert for breakfast!
Maple Baked Apples
Most of my baking requires a degree of precision and orderly list of ingredients. Not so the humble baked apple, a simple treat belonging to the whatever is in the pantry camp. You just can’t screw this up. Hate nuts? Leave them out. Want more spice? Mix up your own blend. Chop up some dried cherries or any other fruit and toss in the mix. Top it up with fancy pants sauces or just a drizzle of maple syrup. If there’s any rule at all, it is just to bake it in liquid, so it doesn’t dry out.
A version of this was a staple in my childhood home where Mom delivered these on any given school night.
We were seven at the table then. Seven to feed- morning, noon (we came home for lunch back then) and night.
I’m tired just thinking about it. She may have been too but never showed it, still doesn’t.
Mom: this one’s for you, dressed up a notch, for the holiday at hand.
Serves 4. Multiply for bigger crowds.
What you need:
- medium baking pan
- 4 tart baking apples*
Filling:
- 4 tsp unsalted butter
- 4 tsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 tablespoon chopped toasted pecans
- 1/2 tsp grated orange zest
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
To baste apples:
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup dry white wine ( or hot water)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger root
- 2 cardamom pods
- 2 whole cloves
Ideas for toppings:
- Greek yogurt, or even better, crème fraiche
- honey
- dried cranberries or cherries
- dollop of Nutella
- whipping cream
- candied ginger ( my favourite)
What you do:
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Place rack in lower middle.
- Grease a baking pan large enough to hold all your apples.
- With a melon baller, scoop out the core of each apple. Make sure not to cut through to the bottom. Cut around the top of the apple, leaving a well. Inside the cavity, make a few vertical slits with a paring knife so syrup mixture can be absorbed during cooking.
- Put one teaspoon of butter in the bottom of each apple cavity, then drizzle one teaspoon of maple syrup over butter.
- Mix together brown sugar, oats, pecans, zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Divide this mixture between the apples and pack each well firmly.
- Arrange apples in baking dish.
- Pour 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup wine ( or water) in bottom of pan and add to the liquid the cinnamon stick, ginger root, cardamom and cloves.
- Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and baste the apples with the liquid in the pan. Bake another 10 minutes and repeat. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 20 to 30 minutes until apple skins are wrinkled.
- Serve warm with your choice of garnish.
* Not sure what kind of apple to use? Here’s a great guide.
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