Baked Apples with Ginger
I like to hand chop the fresh ginger, rather than use a grater, since the little pieces add a bit of spicy bite to the filling. You can omit the flour to make them gluten free or substitute potato or corn starch.
I did a bunch of tests using various amount of sugar, as people often ask me about reducing it in recipes. I did prefer them with the higher amount of brown sugar which, combined with the egg yolk, creates a bit of a crunchy "cake" inside the apple. If you want to go with the smaller amount, you can, or you can find a happy medium between the 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup. You can swap out another diced dried fruit for the cranberries or dates.
Use a good baking apple, one that won't fall apart when baking. Some options include Sierra Beauty, Rome, Golden Delicious, Winesap, and Granny Smith. If you live near a greenmarket or farmers' market, ask the apple vendor which of their apples are best for baking.
Ingredients
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup (45 -90g) light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup (65g) pecans toasted, or walnuts
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries coarsely chopped; or diced dates
- 1/4 cup (35g) candied ginger diced
- 2 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted, plus additional butter for preparing the baking dish and brushing the apples, melted
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 inch (3cm) ginger peeled and finely chopped, fresh, piece
- grated zest lemon half
- pinch salt
- 2 large egg yolk
- 3/4 cup (180ml) white wine or apple juice or cider or water
- 6 medium-sized apple
Instructions
- Butter a medium-sized baking dish, one that will fit the apples in a single layer. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the brown sugar, nuts, dried cranberries or dates, candied ginger, 2 tablespoons melted butter, flour, cinnamon, fresh ginger, lemon zest and salt. Mix in the egg yolks.
- Remove the core from six apples with a melon baller and dig out enough of the insides so all the seeds and any firm bits are removed. Use a paring knife to cut a 1/2-inch (1,25cm) ring around the top of the apples.
- Stuff the filling into the apples, place them in a baking dish, and brush the tops of the apples and the filling with melted butter. Add the wine, apple juice, or water to the pan.
- Bake until the tops of the apples are browned and the apples are cooked through, about 45 minutes. If the liquid in the pan begins to get too low - some apples exude juice, others don't - feel free to add more liquid to the baking dish before it becomes dry. (Adding liquid to the dish if it's dry, and made of ceramic or another material, can cause it to crack. So be careful.) If the filling gets too dark before the apples are cooked through (a paring knife should pierce them easily when done), drape a sheet of foil over the apples and finish baking.
Notes
- Serving: Serve the apples warm or at room temperature with any pan juices spooned over them, along with cold heavy cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cinnamon ice cream. The apples can be baked in advance and rewarmed in a low oven, covered with foil. They are best served the same day. (Although cold, they're not bad for breakfast the next day.)