Grandma’s Baked Apples

This is a classic recipe that my mother and aunt made, and my wife, Gloria, also makes it now. I usually use whatever jam I have in my refrigerator, and I sometimes replace the maple syrup with honey, sugar, or corn syrup. Most apples will work except for soft varieties like McIntosh or Cortland. Red and Golden Delicious, Pippin, and Gravenstein, as well as Pink Lady, all are good choices; although not always available, Russets are one of the best apples for baking.

I have a special corer that Shorey likes to use for the apples. I score the skin around the apples, about 1 inch from the top; as the apples cook, this upper portion forms a “lid.” You can use slightly stale bread for this recipe; the bread under the apples gets soft and absorbs the juices the fruit releases as it cooks.

Serves 4

• 4 Russet, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein, or other apples (see headnote; 6 to 8 ounces each)
• 4 slices (about 1 inch thick) day-old baguette
• 6 tablespoons plum, apricot, or cherry jam
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup sour cream (optional)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Using a corer or knife, core the apples. Cut a slice about ¼ inch thick from the bottoms of the apples so they stand straight. Starting about 1 inch down from the top of each apple, score the skin all around. Place the slices of bread in the bottom of a small gratin dish so they fit snugly in one layer. Stand an apple on each bread slice.

Spoon the jam into the hollow apple centers and divide the butter among them, pushing it down into the hollow centers as well. Pour the maple syrup and water around the apples.

Place the gratin dish on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Baste the apples with the juices and cook for another 15 minutes, or until they are very tender. Let the apples cool until lukewarm and serve with the sour cream, if desired.

To see how it’s done, go to www.surlatable.com/jacquespepin.