Baked Apples in White Wine (Mele al forno)



Ever since I made the Baked Pears in white wine recipe, I have been quite in-love with fruits baked in wine! They are a great way to make fruity desserts that are relatively lower in fat than those which are bathed in cream and sugar. It’s truly delicious, too!

This time I tried using apples instead of pears and I baked them in a spiced wine sauce – Italian style!  The semi-sweet wine (Chardonnay) spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg lends full flavor to the resulting sauce and brings out the sweetness in the Apples. Ah-mazing!!! To include some American touch to the recipe, I used cranberries instead of the usual “sultanas/raisins.” It’s perfect on its own but also lovely served warm with either some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top!!!

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins

1 cup sweet or semi-sweet White Wine (I used Chardonnay)

1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

2 Tablespoons granulated Sugar

Zest of one Lemon

3-4 Green Apples (similar sizes)

2-3 Tablespoons Butter (depending on the number of apples you are using) 

 

Procedure

 

In a bowl, mix together the wine and the spices until the latter has fully dissolved. Add in the dried fruits (I used cranberries). Set aside.

 

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter a baking dish that’s large enough to accommodate the apples. Set aside. 

 

Prepare the apples. Wash and dry them first. Using a corer or a paring knife, remove the central core by making a hole in the center of the apples without cutting it through. Leave the bottom intact.

 

Spoon the dried fruit mixture into the apples, dividing them evenly. Pour a little of the spiced wine (1-2 teaspoons) on the hollowed core. Sprinkle with half the lemon zest.

 

 

Place the apples in the prepared baking dish. Pour in the rest of the wine sauce on the dish. Top each apple core with a knob of butter. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the apples are tender but not mushy. The fruit on top may darken as it bakes but you can easily remove the darkened layer, if you don’t like it, to reveal the delicious and soaked juicy fruits underneath. 

 

 

Serve hot or warm on its own or with a little cream or ice cream and garnish with the remaining lemon zest.

 

 

You may also serve it at room temperature. Enjoy! 

 

 

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Last updated on October 1st, 2019 at 03:30 pm

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6 Comments

    • April 10, 2013 / 3:09 am

      Thanks, Valerie! Glad you like it, I found it difficult to photograph but it was such a delicious dessert that I decided it had to be published, good photo or not! 🙂

  1. April 8, 2013 / 1:08 am

    Hello, wow, nice one. My niece loves apples thats why i want to try something different. Thanks fot this recipe. Hope she'll like it :))

    • April 10, 2013 / 3:08 am

      Oh Reyn, if she loves apples, she'll love this. Do let us know. Thanks for stopping by!

  2. April 11, 2013 / 1:16 pm

    C'mon Ms. Abby can I stop drooling now? =)

    By any chance, do you think it will work with sweeter red apples instead of red ones?

    Best regards!

    • April 16, 2013 / 3:14 am

      Hi Micole, thanks for the message. Sorry I have been out of town so my response has been delayed. Yup, you can certainly use other apples for this. Enjoy!

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