Caramelized Apples With Fresh Rosemary Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scoop out cores of apples with a melon baller. Use the same tool to remove blossom scars at bottoms of apple halves and any skin remaining at stem ends.
• Place sugar in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. When sugar begins to melt, stir with a wooden spoon. It will form big lumps at first, but keep cooking and stirring until all the sugar is dissolved and forms a light-amber syrup. As soon as it reaches this stage, remove from heat, and add butter to prevent caramel from overcooking. Stir until butter is melted and incorporated. Arrange apples cut side up on top of caramel, and tuck rosemary sprigs between them. Place skillet in oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Using tongs, turn apples over; bake until apples are softened, about 15 minutes more.
• Using a serrated knife, cut shortcakes in half horizontally. Place the bottom half of each shortcake cut side up on a large dessert plate. With a small spatula, lift the hot caramelized apple halves from syrup, and place each one cut side down on a shortcake bottom. Remove and discard rosemary. Return skillet with caramel to stovetop, and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Gradually whisk in cream. When sauce is smooth, remove from heat.
• Top each apple half with a scoop of ice cream. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the top of each dessert, letting it drip onto the plate. Place the shortcake tops over each. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Wash and core to a half-inch of the bottoms of each apple. With a vegetable peeler, peel the tops and bottoms of each apple, leaving a band of skin approximately two inches wide. Place the apples one to two inches apart in a large baking dish. Sprinkle a little of the zest into the well of each apple. Add the cider to the dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Place the apples on a lightly oiled baking pan and allow to cool thoroughly.
• When the apples have cooled, place one cup of sugar and a half cup cold water in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved. When the sugar begins to turn golden, rotate the pan to even the color. When the caramel is light amber, using a wooden spoon, carefully coat each apple with the hot caramel. (Caramel burns quickly and must be watched carefully. It will continue to cook and become a darker amber as you are working with it.) Repeat the method with the remaining sugar, using a clean, cool, medium-size heavy saucepan.
• Meanwhile, whip the cream into soft peaks and fold in the ginger and refrigerate until ready to serve the apples.
• When ready to serve, pry the apples from the baking pans with a metal spatula and arrange them on a serving platter or serve on individual dessert plates, accompanied with the ginger cream.

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the molds. Generously coat the interiors of 8 6-ounce straight-sided ramekins with the softened butter using a pastry brush or your fingers. Pour 2 tablespoons sugar into 1 dish and turn it until all surfaces are coated, then tip the sugar out into the next and repeat the process until all the ramekins have a thorough coating of butter and sugar. Set the prepared molds in a large shallow baking pan or on a half-sheet pan.
• 2. Applesauce. Tie the rosemary sprigs together with kitchen twine, wrapping the twine in a spiral up the length of the stems to keep the needles from falling off in the sauce. Put 3/4 cup sugar in a 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and place it over medium-high heat. When the sugar begins to melt, stir it with a wooden spoon. it will form big lumps at first, but keep cooking and stirring until all the sugar is dissolved and you have a smooth amber syrup. As soon as it reaches this stage, add 2 tablespoons butter and stir until it is melted and incorporated. Add the apples and stir. The caramel will harden and form lumps again, but once the sauce cooks it will dissolve. Add the rosemary bundle, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean. Stir in the vanilla extract if using. Puree the mixture with a handheld immersion blender, in a food processor, or by passing it through a food mill. You should have a deep brown sauce that is thick enough to hold its shape in a mound. (This applesauce can be stored covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
• 3. Egg whites. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and liquor if suing into the applesauce. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and continue to beat until they form stiff peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, fold one-third of the whites into the apple mixture until it is thoroughly incorporated, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Tilt the bowl over the prepared souffle cups and, using the rubber spatula to carefully guide the mixture, fill the dishes to 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe up any spills ont he sides of the dishes and, using your thumb, wipe off any mixture that is touching the rims. If the souffle bakes onto any buttered surface at the top of dish, it will stick and prevent it from rising straight up. At this point the souffles can be held up to 1 hour at room temperature.
• 4. Baking. Put the baking pan holding the souffles in the oven and pour about 1/2 inch hot tap water into the pan. Bake until the souffles are nicely browned and risen about 1 1/2 inches, 20 to 25 minutes. Using tongs or oven mitts, immediately transfer the hot dishes to individual serving plates and rush them to the tables with pitchers of the custard sauce. Each guest should break open their souffle in the middle and pour in some of the custard.
• 1. Heating the milk and warming the yolks. Pour the milk and sugar into a small (1 to 2-quart) saucepan and set it over medium heat. Put the egg yolks in a medium stainless-steel mixing bowl and float that bowl in a larger bowl half full of hot tap water. Whisk the yolks until they are lukewarm, about 90 degrees to 100 degrees F. (it will take less than 1 minute), then lift the bowl out of the water.
• 2. Cooking the custard. The instant the milk mixture comes to a rolling boil and rises in the pan, lift it off the heat. With the whisk in one hand and the saucepan in the other, pour the boiling milk into the egg yolks as you whisk constantly but gently. Continue to gently stir the sauce with the whisk for 30 seconds. At this point it should be fully cooked. An instant-read thermometer set in the sauce should register 170 degrees to 180 degrees F. It should coat a teaspoon, but it will become much thicker when it cools. (If for some reason the sauce did not get hot enough to thicken, you can place the bowl on top of a saucepan of boiling water and stir it with a rubber spatula until it reaches 170 degrees F. Do not heat the sauce above 180 degrees F. or it will curdle.) Now whisk the sauce rapidly for 30 seconds to cool it and then pour it through a fine sieve. Store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Pour the milk into a small (1 to 2-quart) saucpean and place it over medium-high heat. Watch the pan carefully. As soon as the milk comes to a full boil, add the herbs and any additional flavoring, push them under the surface of the pan and let the herbs steep for 30 minutes. If they steep longer, it will have little effect on the flavor, but you should uncover the pan so that the milk can cool faster. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a large liquid measuring cup, pressing down firmly on the herbs with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid from the leaves. Add fresh milk if needed to measure 2 cups.

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the apples to the pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Sauté the apples, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes, until they just start to turn tender.
• Sprinkle the apples with the remaining sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest.
• Toss the mixture gently and cook over medium heat for an additional 2 minutes, until the sugar begins to caramelize and the apples are crisp-tender.
• Transfer the apples from the skillet to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Turn the heat to high and add the apple cider to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits.
• Reduce the heat slightly and allow the cider and the pan juices to simmer for 1-3 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
• If you desire a thicker sauce, dissolve the cornstarch in a teaspoon of water, stir it into the sauce, and allow it to thicken for a moment.
• Pour the finished sauce over the warm apples and serve immediately.