3295. BAKED APPLES with OATS, BACON, CHOCOLATE and RAISINS

yields four servings

2 bacon strips, finely chopped

4 crisp apples

2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats

1 tablespoon finely chopped dark chocolate (or small chocolate chips)

2 tablespoons finely chopped raisins

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons Calvados, divided

½ cup apple juice or apple cider

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 cinnamon sticks

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small skillet set over medium heat, add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until it is browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate, saving the bacon fat.

Trim off a thin slice from the bottom of each apple so it stands upright. Use an apple corer or melon baller to make a wide well in the center of each apple, discarding the seeds. Set the apples in a square baking dish.

In a medium bowl mix, together the oats, chocolate, raisins, crispy bacon and 1 tablespoon of the warm bacon fat. Divide 2 tablespoons of Calvados among the apple cavities, then stuff each apple with some of the bacon-oat mixture.

To the baking dish, add the remaining ½ cup of Calvados and the apple juice. Drizzle the maple syrup over the top of each apple and top each with a ½ tablespoon of butter. Add the cinnamon sticks to the baking dish and bake the apples for 25 minutes.

Baste the apples with the liquid, then loosely tent the apples with a piece of aluminum foil and continue to bake until a paring knife easily slips into an apple, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and cool 15 minutes before serving with the roasting juices.


bacon recipe source: Tasting Table Test Kitchen