Baked Apples With Nuts And Honey Are A Simple Pleasure Worth Savouring

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Washington Post

Some of my sweetest food memories revolve around apples. Life was often a struggle for my family when I was growing up, between financial pressures and my parents' strained marriage, but during our annual apple-picking outings, stress gave way to joy and togetherness, and the big batches of applesauce we'd whip up afterward made those good feelings linger.

There's also the comfort I still tap into when I recall the aroma of the baked apples my grandmother made throughout each fall and winter.

This homey recipe holds those heartfelt memories while reflecting the flavours I yearn for here and now. In it, sweet apples are halved and cored, then slathered with olive oil and honey, sprinkled with cinnamon and baked until they are tender, and the kitchen is as delightfully fragrant as I remember my grandmother's to be. You can use just about any variety of sweet apples that hold their shape with cooking.

The baked apple halves are then piled with honey-sweetened toasted, chopped walnuts and sesame seeds, reminiscent of those crunchy Middle Eastern sesame candies. Everything is then generously drizzled with a honey-tahini sauce, which adds an irresistible, creamy luxuriousness.

Given how little effort these apples require, it's even more delightful that they look so elegant plated and make an ideal coda to a meal, satisfying a sweet tooth in a healthful way.

Sweetened with honey, these apples make a fitting celebratory dessert at the end of a Rosh Hashanah meal, and may help create sweet memories in your own home.

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Baked Apples With Honey, Nuts and Tahini

Servings: 4 (makes 4 apple halves)

Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 1 hour

In this healthful dessert, baked apples are stuffed with a walnut and sesame seed mixture, and drizzled with a tahini-honey sauce. Simple to make and beautiful to serve, these apples make an ideal coda to a fall or winter meal.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days; reheat in a 350-degree oven.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium sweet apples, such as Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Fuji or Gala (1 pound total)

1 teaspoon olive oil

6 teaspoons honey, divided

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, plus more as needed

1/3 cup (scant 1 1/2 ounces) walnut pieces

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Pinch fine salt

1 tablespoon well-stirred tahini

DIRECTIONS

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Cut the apples in half through the stem end, then use a melon baller or small spoon to remove the seeds and core each half. Remove a thin slice on the round side of each apple half so it can stand without wobbling. Place the apple halves, cored side up, into an 8-inch square baking dish.

Drizzle the top of each apple half with 1/4 teaspoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the honey and sprinkle with the cinnamon. Add 1/4 cup of the water to the bottom of the pan, being careful not to pour any on the apples, and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the apples can be easily pierced with the tip of a sharp paring knife.

Meanwhile, in a small, dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the walnuts, stirring frequently, until fragrant and a shade darker, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the walnuts to a cutting board. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the sesame seeds. Toast, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the sesame seeds to a small bowl.

Finely chop the walnuts and transfer to the bowl with the sesame seeds. Add 2 teaspoons of the honey and the salt, and stir to combine.

In another small bowl, stir together the tahini, the remaining 2 teaspoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of water until combined. Add more water as needed until the mixture is thin enough to drizzle.

To serve, place the apple halves on a serving plate, or divide among individual plates or bowls. Fill the cavity of each half with the walnut mixture, then drizzle with the tahini sauce.

Substitutions:

Instead of tahini, you can use sunflower seed butter.

For olive oil, try unsalted butter (regular or nondairy).

For walnuts, substitute any chopped nut of your choice or chopped pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Allergic to sesame? Skip the tahini and sesame seeds.

Vegan? Use maple syrup or agave in place of honey.

Instead of cinnamon, you can try cardamom, allspice, ginger or nutmeg.

Nutritional Facts per serving (1 apple half, plus toppings) | Calories: 215; Fat:11 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 28 g; Sodium: 73 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 3 g; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 22 g

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian's or nutritionist's advice.

From cookbook author and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger.

Tested by Olga Massov.

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