Ginger and almond filled baked apples with walnut caramel sauce

Name: Ginger and almond filled baked apples with walnut caramel sauce
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 6 dessert apples, such as red delicious or cox's orange pippin, peeled and tossed in lemon juice

Dan Lepard

September 18, 2018

Push flavour right to the core of the ingredient.William Meppem

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6

Choose what are called dessert apples for this, not the ones that turn to fluff when baked, as the apples need to hold their shape around the filling. I peel them as I've never been convinced by tough baked apple skin, but do keep it on if that's your thing. Once baked, these apples can happily sit in the fridge for reheating when you need them. The caramel walnut sauce is far too delicious and should come with a warning – it's properly sweet so spoon it over sparingly.

Ingredients

6 dessert apples, such as red delicious or cox's orange pippin, peeled and tossed in lemon juice

For the ginger filling

100g ground almonds
50g chopped crystallised ginger
50g castor sugar
20g milk
1 tsp ground ginger

For the walnut caramel sauce

300g castor sugar
75ml water
150g double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g chopped walnuts
15ml brandy

Method

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan-forced).
Step 2
To stuff the apples, first mix together all the ginger filling ingredients. Remove the cores from the apples, keeping both stalk and bud ends and discarding the middle. Put the bud end back in then pack the centre with the ginger filling. Pop the stalk end back on to seal the filling inside.
Step 3
Place the apples in an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes then test with a skewer: you want the apples soft but not completely mushy. As soon as they're tender, remove them from the oven. They can be baked the day before and stored in the fridge until you need them.
Step 4
For the walnut caramel sauce, boil the sugar and water over a high heat until it starts to turn a deep caramel colour. Remove from the heat, add the cream and stand back as it will splutter, then return to the heat. Cook gently until smooth and thickened, then add the vanilla, walnuts and brandy and stir well. Again, this sauce can be made ahead and warmed when ready.
Step 5
To serve, heat the apples in the oven then spoon over the warm caramel sauce.