Here is a beautiful dessert for fall or winter that will fill your house with the aroma of holiday spices. Braeburn apples are poached in a cider rum sauce with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest and crystallized ginger. Add vanilla or brown butter pecan ice cream and your family or guests will be in heaven.
Reprinted with permission from Bluestem: the cookbook by Colby and Megan Garrelts (Andrews Mcmeel 2011).
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: Serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 2 quarts apple cider
- 1 cup light rum (we use 10 Cane rum)
- ½ cup sugar
- 6 cloves
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
- Zest of 1 orange, peeled with a Y-peeler
- 1 large piece crystallized ginger, chopped into small pieces
- 4 Braeburn apples, peeled, quartered, and cored
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- Brown Butter–Pecan Ice Cream (page 266)
- Pecans, toasted and chopped, for garnish
Preparation:
Bring the cider, rum, sugar, cloves, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, zest, and ginger to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Turn the heat down to low and add the apples. Bring the liquid to a low simmer and poach the apples for 20 minutes, or until the apples become tender but not soft or mushy.
Remove the apples with a slotted spoon and set them on a plate to drain. Cover and keep the apples warm while you let the cider steep for 10 minutes.
Strain the cider through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the cinnamon sticks, orange peel, ginger, and cloves. Cover the cider and keep warm until ready to serve.
Divide the apple halves among 4 bowls. Vigorously whisk the butter into the cider. Pour the warm buttered cider over the apples and top each with a scoop of the ice cream. Garnish each bowl with chopped pecans and serve immediately. Extra cider can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
