For Yummy Fall Desserts, Bake Some Fruit
The calendar might read “September,” but I’m not quite ready to jump into all-things pumpkin. I’m very ready, though, to bake some late-season peaches and just-picked apples and pears and fill them with ingredients ranging from crunchy almond cookies to tangy blue cheese. Baked-stuffed fruits are a reliable, old-fashioned dessert that never seems to go out of fashion — they’re delicious for breakfast, too!
OLD FASHIONED BAKED APPLES
Serves 8
Next to an apple crumble, a dessert of baked apples is a classic fall favorite. They’re simple to prepare and a great make-ahead dish to pop into the oven during dinner. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with homemade or prepared caramel sauce.
4 baking apples
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup apple cider
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Caramel sauce, for drizzling
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Cut about 1/2 inch from the upper half of each apple. With a sharp knife, remove the core and some pulp to create a cavity. Place the apples upright in an ovenproof baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds or walnuts, raisins, and orange zest. Fill the cavities with the mixture; dot with butter. Pour the apple cider around the apples.
4. Bake the apples for 30 to 40 minutes, basting with the pan juices several times during cooking. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
5. To serve, place an apple half into each of eight serving bowls; spoon the juices over each. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream; drizzle with caramel sauce.
ALMOND-STUFFED PEACHES
Makes 12
This recipe uses ground almonds and Italian amaretti cookies, such as Lazzaroni brand, to fill the peaches. Add rum or a dessert wine like Vin Santo for a bit of a kick. Top with Mascarpone Cream (recipe follows), if you wish.
1/2 cup ground almonds
6 amaretti cookies, crumbled
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons white rum or sweet white wine
6 peaches, halved and pitted
6 cinnamon sticks
Mascarpone cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the almonds, cookies, brown sugar, and rum or wine. With a melon ball cutter or spoon, scoop out enough pulp from the center of each peach to create a 1-inch-deep cavity.
3. Arrange the peaches, cut side up, in an ovenproof baking dish; fill each with the almond mixture. Top with a cinnamon stick. Cover the dish with foil.
3. Bake the peaches for 30 to 35 minutes, or until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Let cool slightly.
4. To serve, put a peach half into each of 12 shallow bowls; spoon the juices on top. Serve with Mascarpone Cream.
MASCARPONE CREAM
Makes 1 1/2 cups
8 ounces mascarpone
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the mascarpone, cream, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
HONEY-ROASTED PEARS WITH CASHEL BLUE AND PINE NUTS
Serves 4
Fruit and cheese is a popular final course in Ireland and throughout continental Europe, and these stuffed pears are a mini version of that popular course. Serve the pears warm or at room temperature. For a breakfast version of this recipe, see NOTE.
2 ripe pears (Bosc, Anjou, or Concorde), halved and cored
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
2 ounces Cashel Blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pine nuts
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each pear half (to keep them upright).
3. In a small bowl, combine the honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Place pears, cut side up, on the prepared pan. Spoon half the honey mixture evenly over the pears.
4. Bake the pears for about 25 minutes, or until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
5. To serve, put a pear half into each of four shallow bowls. Drizzle with the reserved honey mixture. Sprinkle with the blue cheese and pine nuts.
NOTE: For a breakfast version of these stuffed pears, in a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup rolled oats (not instant), 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (plus more for sprinkling), and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Bake the pears as above, omitting the blue cheese and pine nuts. To serve, put a pear half into each of four shallow bowls. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup.
Margaret Johnson’s “Recipes” page alternated with “Ireland Hopping: Adventures in Food, Drink, and Travel.” To order one of her signed cookbooks, visit irishcook.com.
