Name: Honey Baked Apples with Creme Fraiche
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 4 large apples , large, (about 2 pounds), one strip of peel from stem end removed, rinsed, dried, and cored (see illustration below); 1/2 cup honey; 1 cup water; 4 small lemons , small, peeling one large strip of zest from each lemon, then juiced

Why This Recipe Works

We discovered the secrets to a great baked apples recipe: After testing a number of varieties, we ended up choosing Northern Spy, Cortland, and Golden Delicious as our favorites, based on their availability as well as their appearance and flavor. For our baked apples recipe, we preferred baking the apples uncovered instead of wrapping them in foil because the apples caramelized better. To allow steam to escape and thereby keep the apples from bursting, we found that removing a strip of skin around the apple's stem end with a vegetable peeler did the trick.

Before You Begin

Northern Spy, Cortland, and Golden Delicious were our favorite apples for this dish. Serve fruit warm with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place apples in 9-inch Pyrex pie pan or 8-inch-square baking pan. Insert one zest strip inside each apple. Drizzle honey over and inside apple cavities. Pour lemon juice evenly over apples. Pour water in pan.

Bake apples, basting every 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with thin, sharp knife or cake tester, 45 to 55 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, or skins will split, causing apples to lose their shape. (Can be cooled to room temperature, covered, and refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat before serving.)