Baked apples with Calvados

A baked apple is a wonder. The texture that you get from baking an apple whole in its skin, allowing the flesh to steam and soften, is like no other. Here, the apple is cooked with some of its closest friends – butter, sugar, dried fruit and apple brandy – to make a dessert that is unsurpassed in its ability to comfort and soothe.

SERVES 4

• 60g sultanas

• 3tbsp Calvados

• 25g caster sugar

• 25g soft brown sugar

• 50g unsalted butter, softened

• 4 firm apples, such as Braeburn or russet, cored

• Double cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve

• Toasted flaked almonds, to serve

FOR THE SAUCE

• 50g caster sugar

• 50ml apple juice

• 2tbsp Calvados

• 25g unsalted butter

1 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Put the sultanas in a small pan with the Calvados and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and allow to cool in the Calvados. Mix the sugars with the butter and add the soaked cooled sultanas.

2 Put the apples in a small roasting dish. Stuff the apples with the filling and bake in the preheated oven for 30min, until the apples are just tender. 3 Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the sugar in a pan with 1tbsp water and dissolve over a low heat, without stirring. Once it’s melted, turn up the heat and boil until you have a dark caramel. Remove from the heat and add the apple juice, Calvados and butter. Stir until smooth.

4 Serve the sauce over the apples with lots of cream or ice cream and a sprinkling of toasted almonds.

Recipes extracted from Fireside Food For Cold Winter Nights (Ryland Peters & Small) by Lizzie Kamenetzky, £18.99