Back now to the reason I re-started this blog: to serve as a festival of food and repository of recipes. I haven’t found much time for cooking lately, but in the interest of cleaning out the refrigerator, I made cinnamon apples this evening.
That was about all that could be done with the apples; the sorry things had been in the crisper since April, when I decided that getting a whole case at CostCo was a good idea. I figured I’d eat more apples if I had them in the house. But I go through phases with fruit, and apparently I haven’t been in the mood for apples. Lately it’s been sweeter, tangier things: pineapple, peach, strawberry. So the apples have gone uneaten, and have started to get a little dehydrated and rubbery. Somewhat unappetizing to eat raw, but quite recoverable through the magic of heat, butter, and sugar.
If you’ve never made cinnamon apples before, they’re fast and foolproof. Cut 4-5 apples into 1-inch chunks and toss them in a saute pan. Then add the good stuff: a half-cup of brown sugar, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg if you’ve got it. To make all that into a syrup, you’ll need to add 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook it at medium heat for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally; I like to kick it up to medium-high for the last five minutes so I get a nice, bubbly, thickening syrup. Serve alone if you’ve a sweet tooth and are trying to pass it off as a legitimate side dish, or with vanilla ice cream as a simple dessert. It’s also simple to make in large batches, great for beginner-level dinner parties. Re-heats like magic. A sprig of mint on top for elegance. Can’t go wrong!