Baked Apples

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell is a contemporary mystery book set primarily in the English countryside. This book follows Claire, a burnt-out Millennial medium, who utilizes her ability to see ghosts and teams up with her ghostly best friend Sophie, ex-policeman Sebastian, and far-too-cool non-binary teen Alex to figure out which members of a posh English family are guilty of murder.

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I had some difficulty connecting with the main character because I thought some of her reactions were inconsistent with someone of her age who is supposedly living on their own and supporting themself. However, I enjoyed the book overall due to the interesting cast of characters.

At one point in the book, Sebastian prepares baked apples for them.

Basher [Sebastian] turned out to be a very enthusiastic cook. It was oddly exhilarating watching him – an intentionally drab person – light up from the inside to the out as he mixed together double cream and raisins and rum, rubbed rich butter into flour, and used twice as much garlic and chili as the recipe suggested to stir-fry green beans to go with the salmon. He put up only a cursory objection to Alex insisting that he plate up a portion of everything for Sophie as well. They pretended to be a fancy maître di, tea towel over their forearm, as they put down the huge stuffed apple, swimming in cream, in front of where Sophie was sitting. She beamed. It was delicious.

-Chapter 11, Grave Expectations by Alice Bell

This comforting dessert is perfect for a chilly autumn or winter evening. I had never made baked apples before but these apples turned out to be a delicious and wholesome dessert.

Baked Apples

SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS
4 apples  (Note 1)
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
2/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons chopped nuts, oats, and/or raisins  (optional)
2/3 cups apple cider or juice
2 tablespoons heavy cream  (optional)


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375⁰F.
2. Core apples and slice a thin ribbon of peel from around the top of each apple cavity, which helps keep the peel from splitting while baking. Slice off all fruit remaining on the apple cores and chop it.
3. Combine softened butter with sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the chopped apple pieces and the chopped nuts, oats and raisins (if using).
4. Place cored apples in a greased baking dish large enough to hold the apples upright with up to an inch between them.
5. Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of the butter mixture into each apple, filling all the way to the top.
6. Pour cider into baking dish around the apples, drizzling a little over each apple in the process.
7. Cover the apples with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for about 15-20 minutes, until the apples can be pierced easily with a knife tip but still hold their shape. Remove from oven.
8. Arrange apples in small bowls. Add 2 tablespoons cream (optional) to pan juices and pour over apples. Serve immediately.

RECIPE NOTES

1. Choose a crisp, firm apple variety, such as Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp. Make sure they stand up straight on their bottom, so they don’t tip over in the oven.