Baked apples with vanilla, butter, lemon & brown sugar

Autumn

Baking apples takes cooking away from what it means today. It takes it away from this culture of confusion and noise; it takes it away from the restaurants and the screens; it takes it away from the business it’s become. Baking apples takes cooking home again, to a place where only the act matters and where we want nothing but love, and for the skin to split and open and the fruit to become soft.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

3 or 4 dessert apples, such as Cox's or russet
50g (2oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
pared zest of 1 lemon
double cream, to serve (optional)

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

Halve the apples (I like to leave in the core) and arrange them in the middle of a sheet of baking parchment large enough to be able to fold over the apples to encase them in a parcel.

Place the butter in a small bowl, add the vanilla seeds and sugar, and mix well. Dot a little of this sweet vanilla butter over the top of each apple. Scatter over the lemon zest and chuck the vanilla pod on for good measure. Fold the parchment carefully over the apples to create a nice, neat parcel, then tie the parcel with some string to hold the paper in place.

Place the apples on a baking tray and place in the oven. Bake for about 20–25 minutes, until cooked through.

Remove the tray from the oven and carefully open the steamy parchment parcel. Serve the hot apples and all their lemony, vanilla-y, buttery juices with a generous lick of double cream, if you wish.

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