So you went apple picking, did you?

And now you have 25 lbs of apples. Granted, they are the most delicious apples available, being that you and your offspring have just ripped them off the branch yesterday and drove them straight home. (The apples that made it out of the orchard, that is.) So here’s the deal. The easiest thing to do with apples is to just bake them and serve with (vanilla Ben and Jerry’s) ice cream and you will have a simple and surprisingly decadent dessert. So that’s the one I’m going to talk about first, because it is Monday and Mondays are not the appropriate day to tackle complicated things. Over the next few days (or weeks, depending on how disorganized I am), I am going to get progressively more ambitious on you and reveal various other apple treats. This will cumulate in my much lusted after apple pie recipe. So plan ahead, because you need to put some time aside to make that pie. I assure you that you will not regret it. But let’s charge ahead and do the baked apples as a warm-up.

Baked Apples

(A few tedious notes. Skip if you are not of an academic bent.

• Many people like to have a big long discussion about which sorts of apples is best for this. I say, use whatever variety you like. I don’t like McIntosh apples (I find them mealy). So I don’t use them. Many people suggest Granny Smith, but I think that any variety will probably be okay. But if you are nervous, Martha Stewart has written tomes on the subjects and Mark Bittman also likes to talk about this.
• Some people like to bake in a water bath but I don’t think this is necessary, and makes them mushy, actually.)

4 firm apples

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ cup raisins, or raisins and walnuts (optional, but I think they add a lot)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Scoop out the core from top of the apple, but don’t core it all the way through. You will be making a sort of basin. Stuff each apple with 1 teaspoon raisins or raisin/nuts, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter. Place in a shallow baking dish (they can leak a bit) and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 15 minutes. You will know they are done when the sugar begins to caramelize and apples are tender. Serve with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream. If you have little kids, they will delight in scooping it out of the skin, but might need a little help.

Another note: I am currently researching a variation on this. By the end of the 25 lb bag I might have it  right and if so, I’ll let you know.