Baked apples with maple syrup

Serves 4

The juice and the crunch of many apples - Paula Red, Red Delicious, Pippin, Macoun, and Empire - are probably best experienced out of hand. If you only ate apples raw it would not be a shame. But they’re so good in the kitchen, in a pie or tart, or baked. Keep it simple. Core the apples and line them up in a baking dish. Moisten them with cider and maple syrup and bake until soft enough to feed a baby. When they're meltingly ready, drench the dish in heavy cream and more maple syrup and serve right away - soft, comforting, and warm, but still all apple.

4 baking apples, cored

1/2 cup apple cider

1/4 cup maple syrup, plus more for sprinkling

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. In an 8-inch square baking dish, place the apples in one layer.

2. In a small bowl combine the cider and 1/4 cup maple syrup. Pour the mixture over the apples. Bake the apples for 45 minutes or until tender when pierced with a skewer. During baking, baste the apples often with the juices at the bottom of the dish. Serve warm with cream and more maple syrup. - Jonathan Levitt

NOTE: For baking apples and a cake to use them, see facing page.