It’s apple season!

Last week I spent some happy time drooling over this collection of cooked apple recipes from Mark Bittman in the New York Times Magazine and promptly decided it was time for a trip to Eckert’s to pick some apples!

This first recipe is the literal fruit of that labor. I plan to try out several more of these over the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

Baked Apples with Praline
Recipe courtesy of New York Times Magazine

Ingredients

4 apples
4 tbs Earth Balance
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Halve and core apples
• Put cut side down in a greased 9 x 13 in. pan
• Drizzle with 1 tbs melted butter and apple juice and bake for 20 min.
• Meanwhile, cook brown sugar, chopped pecans and remaining butter over low heat, stirring, until butter melts; add vanilla
• After 20 min. turn the apples, baste and top with praline mixture; bake for another 20 min.
• Remove from oven and serve immediately (with coconut ice cream, if that’s how you roll)

Yield: Serves 4-8

I’m pretty excited about these.

I wish I could have gotten a better picture but there was a hungry crowd waiting! Andy and I made these as a father’s day dessert yesterday and they were dee-lish. I’m really glad to have discovered them because they’re a super simple, quick and relatively healthy dessert that he and I will be able to easily whip up for just the two of us whenever we’ve got a major sweets craving!

Most everyone else there enjoyed these with a bowl of vanilla ice cream, which I’m certain complemented the peaches quite well. Of course, you could opt for a scoop of almond or soy ice cream on the side but honestly, these are good enough to stand alone as well.

Grilled Peaches
Recipe courtesy of Sunset

Ingredients

2 tbs light brown sugar*
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 fresh peaches
grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)

*If you wanted to make these a full-on healthy dessert, you could sub maple sugar for the brown sugar. I’d only do this if I was just making one or two since maple sugar is SO ridiculously expensive.

Directions

• Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl
• Cut peaches along the seam all the way around and twist halves off the pit
• Brush cut sides with oil
• Cook, cut side down, on a hot grill until fruit has grill marks, 3 to 4 min.
• Brush tops with oil, turn over and move to indirect heat. Sprinkle cut sides with cinnamon sugar mixture, cover grill and cook until sugar is melted and fruit is tender, 10 to 15 min.

Yield: Serves 4-8