Barbecued apples with muscovado, raisins, pine nuts and clotted cream
These are fantastic served directly from the barbecue in their foil jackets, but let them cool a bit first so you’re not juggling them around! I like to cook these apples during the winter months – they’re great for a bonfire-night or Thanksgiving gathering, especially with some hot, mulled cider to wash them down.
50ml (3½ Tbsp) sweet, syrupy sherry, such as Pedro Ximénez
50g (1/3 cup) raisins
100g (½ cup) dark muscovado sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
50g (1/3 cup) pine nuts
4 large Cox’s Orange Pippin apples
25g (1½ Tbsp) unsalted butter
150g (2/3 cup) clotted (heavy) cream
30g (¼ cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
Light the barbecue and set for direct/indirect cooking.
Pour the sherry over the raisins, then mix in 75g (1/3 cup) of the muscovado sugar and the lemon zest. Lightly toast the pine nuts over a low heat in a small frying pan until golden brown. Leave to cool, then chop roughly and add to the raisin mixture.
Remove the cores from the apples using a corer or small knife – you want to create a cavity right through the middle of the apple to stuff. Lay out 4 sheets of foil, each large enough to wrap an apple well, then sit an apple on each one. Stuff the cavities generously with the raisin mixture; if a little spills down the sides, that’s fine. Top the apples with the remaining muscovado sugar and dot with the butter, then wrap them up tightly so they are well sealed.
Place the apples in the indirect heat zone and close the lid (the temperature inside the barbecue should be about 170°C/340°F). Cook for about 40 minutes, until the apples are soft to the touch, rotating them a couple of times to ensure they cook evenly.
Remove from the barbecue and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the clotted cream with the icing sugar to combine. Open the foil, top the apples with the sweetened cream and serve.