Baked apples with caramel sauce

Today I put my Nordic Ware roaster to use again, and it wasn’t to make potatoes. No. I wanted to try something new and I thought of making a classic pastry dish, roasted apples. Because although the gadget in question is called a “potato roaster”, there are other foods and preparations in which we can use it. I’m already thinking about roasting sweet potatoes or pumpkin next time.

Baked apples are one of those desserts that you always want. We may be invaded by the fashions of American, Japanese and other sweets, but I don't know anyone who would say no to a baked apple. Especially if it's freshly made and is accompanied by a handful of toasted almonds and caramel sauce. A real treat, you know.

Nordic Ware roasting pan , Pallarès carbon steel knife , Revol Color Lab porcelain cup , Le Creuset ceramic ramekins , Küchenprofi stainless steel saucepan and Emile Henry crème brûlée container

Ingredients (for 4 units)

• 4 Royal Gala or Pink Lady type apples
• 20 g brown sugar
• 5 g ground cinnamon
• 10 g of butter
• 10 g of almonds in sticks or chopped

For the caramel sauce:

• 100 g brown sugar
• 30 g butter
• 30 g of water (2 tablespoons)
• 50 g crème fraîche or liquid cream

Elaboration

1. We cut the butter, which must be very cold, into four equal cubes and put it in the refrigerator until we use it.
2. We wash and dry the apples well.
3. Using a sharp knife , make a shallow cut around the diameter of each one. We want to cut only the skin to prevent it from bursting in the oven and cracking anywhere. This makes it look more aesthetic and improves the presentation considerably.
4. Using an apple corer or a baller, remove the top of each apple.
5. Place the apples on the four racks of the roasting pan , pressing gently until they are halfway in. If you put too little in, the apples will fall out as they soften in the oven, so don't be afraid to press.
6. We fill the hollows of the apples with a teaspoon of brown sugar, a pinch of ground cinnamon and a cube of butter.
7. We place the roasting pan on a baking dish to collect the juice that the apples release when roasting, which we will use later. I have used the Emile Henry ceramic mould, which is just the diameter of the roasting pan and is very easy to clean.
8. Bake in the oven, preheated to 175ºC (with heat above and below), for 30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, prepare the caramel sauce. To do this, place the brown sugar, butter and water in a saucepan . Bring to the boil and cook over a very low heat for 15 minutes, so that the sugar caramelizes. Remove from the heat and let cool for five minutes.
10. Add the crème fraîche and stir with a whisk until combined.
11. When the apples are ready, remove them from the grill and use the juices they have released to enrich the caramel sauce.
12. We serve immediately.

Le Creuset silicone mini brush , Emile Henry crème brûlée containers , Revol Color Lab porcelain mug , Küchenprofi stainless steel saucepan , Emile Henry round ceramic mold , Le Creuset ceramic ramekins , Nordic Ware a sador and Pallarès carbon steel knife