All About Eve - Baked Mutsu Apples
There are certain popular and common fruits that I can pretty well pass up. Take apples, for instance. Really, you take them. I buy them by the bagful for Scott, an Apple-a-Day man, if ever, but once they get the tumble into the cavernous glazed bowl on the sideboard, I never look at them again. I'd much rather cup a sweet palm of berries to my mouth or leisurely sink my teeth into the yielding, succulent curvature of a pear. Until fairly recently, I just hadn't found apples particularly hedonistic in texture nor flavor, especially when eaten out of hand, and have a hard time believing that Eve really seduced Adam with one.
Of course, Eve never had a microwave, nor did Mutsu apples grow on the Tree of Knowledge. A Mutsu in a microwave is a miraculous thing; it has restored my faith in apples. Hissing cinnamon vapors, its golden haunches gashed and splayed, bleeding brown sugar, it looks like a crime scene. It tastes like a sin.
Baked Mutsu Apples – My own off-the-cuff recipe. Substitute your own spices, sweetener, fruit, and nuts, if desired.This post is for Paru of Brindavan, hosting MEC (Microwave Easy Cooking) - Sweets 'n' Savories for Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons, the creator of MEC.
Ingredients – (Per serving, although Mutsu can be very large, easily serving two.)
1 Mutsu apple, washed and cored
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup brown sugar, packed (this can be omitted if you prefer less sweetness)
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons shelled walnuts, coarsely broken
Method
Center apple in a microwavable serving bowl that is large enough to accommodate the expansion of it once it is cut open. Microwave on high power* for 3-4 minutes or until apple yields when pushed down gently with a spoon. Remove bowl from microwave and cut apple into quarters, letting them fall away from the center. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon. Return to microwave for another 30 seconds. Remove again, distributing brown sugar on and around apple. Toss raisins and walnuts in center of apple. Return to microwave for another 2 minutes or until brown sugar is melted and apple is soft. Remove carefully from microwave (will be very hot) and serve immediately. Continue to use caution; hot sugar can burn the mouth.
* Microwave power and cooking duration vary among brands and models.
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Been There, Done That ~
Cardamom Apple Custard
Sourdough Waffles with Pumpkin Butter
Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Roll Cake
Other People's Eats ~
Mele Cotte
Baked Apples Baklava
Three Things to do with Baked Apples
Oh Susan – lead us not into temptation!
ReplyDeleteBaked apples are delicious! That variety is unknown to me... One of my favorite apples is called "Boskoop" and is French.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rosa
I had better look harder for a Mutsu apple. I wonder if it is similar to a Fuji.
ReplyDeleteAwesome...i love baked apples...looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteI've only eaten a Mutsu raw, and wasn't a big fan. However, with a description like yours, I think I need to try them baked!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you discovered Mutsu apples and found a recipe that lets you appreciate them. I love them and have declared so a while ago in a post. We actually have a local producer.
ReplyDeleteBaked apples evoke a strong memory from childhood. It was the one dessert my mother mastered, and we often had some form of baked apple after dinner on Friday nights.
ReplyDeleteWinter pudding at it's best. Yum!
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe, simple and speedy and delicious! I am gonna try it with the apples we have here, unfortunately not the variety you mention
ReplyDeleteI've always used Rome apples for baking, but lo! Thou hast converted me!
ReplyDeleteEven tho i dont really like microwave cooking, i gave this recipe a try and got quite surprised.
ReplyDeleteVery nice recipe, thanks for sharing.
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oh this looks absolutely delicious! i'd have a bowl of that with some cream :) mmm
ReplyDeleteVery very my kind of dessert. I am scared of the explosion tho ;-) apples and walnuts and cinnamon .. Mmmmmm
ReplyDeleteI've always felt the same way about apples.:) But yes, I do love them baked into desserts or other sweet goodies. Love the idea of a microwaved apple dessert.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many apple varieties, it would be impossible to know them all. Of course, now I want to taste a Boskoop. : ) I wonder if an antique orchard in the U.S. carries them.
ReplyDeleteKoek! - If you take the walnuts away, at least it is no fat. : D
Val - While Mutsu and Fuji are both Japanese cultivars, they are individual crosses between entirely different apples. The only thing they have somewhat in common is that they are both bred fr/ Delicious varieties; Mutsu, Golden Delicious, and Fuji, Red Delicious.
Hi, Preeti! Thank you!
Ricki - Well, I'm no great fan of any raw apple, but baked is a whole different animal.
Simona - Lucky, lucky you to have a local producer. We have to take a road trip (though not a bad way to spend a crisp fall day). I remember that post of yours. I believe I even commented on it, too. It's an amazing apple.
Lydia - Sometimes the simple, old-fashioned desserts are best.
Jacqueline - It's a wonderful cold-weather treat. Good to see you.
Taste of Beirut - Thank you. Just find yourself as big and hard an apple as you can.
Toni - Rome are great baked, but Mutsu was a special discovery for me.
Welcome, Pedro! I am not much for microwaving, either, but it does perfect a baked apple in record time. Thanks for your kind words.
Soma - Coring the apples, which allows the steam to escape, prevents explosion in the MC. Hope you take a chance with the recipe. : }
Hi, Diva! Good to see you! Thanks. Yes, cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Deadly, but mmmm. : )
Vaishali - I thought I was the only one. Too funny!!! This is one of the rare occasions when, for me, a microwave earns its keep.
Looks wonderful, Susan. I was just in North Carolina at an apple orchard and bought some Mutsu apples which I had never heard of. Your recipe looks perfect! BTW, thanks so much for judging DMBLGiT!
ReplyDelete