Sunday Supper Treat

Yesterday was "apple" day at Whole Foods.  I literally grazed through the store.  The first thing I was handed when I walked in was a  little cup of chopped baked apples, cranberries and nuts.  It was delicious!  I picked up the recipe, looked at it, folded it up, put it in my bag and started shopping.

Here is my version:

Stuffed Apples

2 apples of choice (I used Fugi)

Butter (a little over a tblsp)

A good heaping cup of fresh  cranberries

8 dates , pitted and chopped

Juice of a blood orange

Zest from the blood orange

1/4 tsp. cardamom

2 tblsp. honey (I used a creamed honey with cinnamon from a local beekeeper)

a handful of shelled walnuts, chopped coarsely

Cut tops off of apples, and set aside.  Take out core, and hollow out apples leaving about 1/4 of an inch around sides and bottom.

In a large pan, melt butter.  Add whole cranberries, dates, juice and zest of the blood orange, cardamom, and honey.  Cook until cranberries have popped and liquid has thickened.  Stir in walnuts.

 

Spoon mixture into apple cavities, dividing equally.  Place apple tops on stuffing.  Place stuffed apples in a deep baking dish.  Pour water around apples (bout 1/4 " deep).  Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 400 preheated oven for about 30 minutes.  Remove foil, pour out water and continue baking for 15 minutes. They  should be brown, but not collapsing.

Bon Appetit!

(My picture was taken before I baked the apples.   I was not for certain if the fugi apples would hold up.  They were beautiful and yummy.  They were not as rich or as sweet as I thought they would be.  You can add more butter and substitute brown sugar in place of the honey, for a sweeter richer version.)