Baked Apples with Raisins and Rum Caramel Sauce

I cannot think of an easier and comforting dessert recipe at this time of the year than slowly baked apples with caramel sauce. Baked apples are a traditional recipe in Spain called Manzanas Asadas. I always remember my nana’s recipe using delicious russet apples stuffed with butter, sticky raisins and brown sugar. This is my version of her recipe by simply adding fresh orange zest and ground cinnamon to spice the butter mix and making a light rum caramel sauce seasoned with sea salt to coat the roasted apples. You can also serve them with some warm custard.

Preparation time

15 mins

Cooking time

45 mins

Serves

4 people

Ingredients

4 russet apples
100g of soft unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the baking tray
4 tbsp of raisins
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
Zest of one orange
100g brown sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on the apples
For the rum caramel sauce:
200g caster sugar
3 tbsp of soft unsalted butter
150ml whipping cream
Dark rum to taste
Pinch of sea salt

Method

Pre-heat your wood-fired oven at 190°C/375°F.
In a medium size bowl, mix the soft butter and brown sugar until well combined. Add the raisins, ground cinnamon and freshly grated orange zest and mix well.
Wash the apples and dry them well. From the base of each apple, cut a small disc, so the apples can stand firmly on the baking tray. Using an apple corer, remove the centre of each apple. Then using a small knife, make a small cut round the whole length of the apple, this will make the apple keep its shape after roasting.
Grease a baking tray with a pinch of butter and place the apples standing on it. Fill each apple with the spiced butter mix, allowing some of the mix to coat the top of the apple. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven, dust with some brown sugar and keep warm.
For the rum caramel sauce, melt the sugar on a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the sugar turns into a rich amber caramel. Remove from the heat and let the caramel cool down slightly, then start to whisk in the butter carefully. It will bubble up. Keep whisking until the bubbles settle down, then add the cream, whisking until the caramel is smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the dark rum, butter and sea salt, mix well.
Serve one baked apple per person with a drizzle of the warm rum caramel sauce.

Baked Apples with Raisins and Rum Caramel Sauce

Perfectionists in the Art of Wood-Fired Cooking.