Sweet to the Core

The Green Market in downtown West Palm Beach is finally back this Saturday and every Saturday for the next few months and I couldn't be more excited! This is the time to get your artisanal cheeses, heirloom tomatoes, fruits, cinnamon donuts (uuughh...guilty pleasure), fresh flowers and several other culinary delights. I particularly love this time of year as I've expressed in the past due to the bounty of wonderfully rich and flavorful foods that can be prepared during this holiday season. One fruit in particular that most people love and is in season of course, is the apple. I eat apples regularly but only bake with them during the holidays. I couldn't resist the photo of the glorious dark, lacquered syrup-y apples shown above - shot by one of my favorite bloggers and photographers, Matt Armendariz of www.mattbites.com and www.mattarmendariz.com. The recipe for making his red and black candied apples is on his blog and sounds amazing...everyone should check it out! These would be ideal for a seriously wicked and chic Halloween party! Another delectable dessert that is incredibly easy and a crowd pleaser during this time of year are baked apples. If you're someone that is daunted by the idea of baking or simply has no time to roll out a pie crust, try baking apples with a twist. This is just one idea...but cranberries, apricots, walnuts, granola can all be added toppings! Be creative and have fun!-BH

Vanilla-Bean Baked Apples

You will need:

4 semi-sweet apples - Rome Beauty or Gala
3 Tbls dark brown sugar, packed
2 Tbls unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbls finely chopped toasted pecans plus more for topping
1/2 large vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and scraped of beans
1/8 tsp salt

What to do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Core the apples and fit snugly into an ovenproof skillet or loaf pan. Stir together sugar, butter, nuts, vanilla seeds, and salt in small bowl. Divide sugar mixture among apples. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake until apples are soft ~ about an hour. Serve warm with pan syrup spooned on top and vanilla ice cream on the side.

Photo and recipe courtesy of www.marthastewart.com