Sometimes it’s a case of “the simpler the better.” Here, you bake apples in a rich, buttery caramel sauce and it doesn’t take much time to get it all together, either.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　4 large Golden Delicious apples, cored

　　1 cup sugar

　　8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter

　　

Step 1

Position the oven racks so that one rack is in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to convection bake at 375°F. Lightly butter a baking dish just large enough to hold the fruit.

　　

Step 2

Peel the bottom half of each apple.

　　

Step 3

Heat the sugar in a heavy skillet over high heat, stirring, until it begins to melt around the edges, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture turns a light caramel color.

　　

Step 4

With a whisk, stir in the butter until the butter is melted into the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sauce is smooth.

　　

Step 5

Pour the sauce into the baking dish to cover the bottom. Put the apples in the baking dish with the peeled side down and pour the caramel into the hollowed-out centers. Cover the remainder of the apples with caramel sauce.

　　

Step 6

Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Using a pair of tongs or two spoons, gently turn the apples over and continue baking, basting two or three times, until the apples are tender, about 15 more minutes.

　　

Step 7

Cool and serve the apples with the sauce spooned over them.

　　

Baked Pears

Step 8

Wash firm Bosc pears; do not core them, but trim the bottoms of each so they will stand up in the baking dish. Continue with the recipe from step 3.

　　From Cooking with Convection by Beatrice Ojankangas. Copyright (c) 2005 by Beatrice Ojankangas. Published by Broadway Books.Beatrice Ojakangas has written more than a dozen cookbooks, including Beatrice Ojakangas' Great Holiday Baking Book, Beatrice Ojakangas' Light and Easy Baking, Pot Pies, Quick Breads, Light Desserts, The Finnish Cookbook, and The Great Scandinavian Baking Book. Beatrice works as a consultant for Pillsbury and other major food companies, teaches cooking classes, and writes for various food magazines. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota.