The Idareds are in, so let the baking begin. These late-autumn apples are popping up at most central Pennsylvania fruit and roadside stands about now and are a nice change from mundane Macs: they’re bigger, redder and retain their shape better than the more familiar baking apples available in supermarkets.
Back in the mid-1990s writer Roger Yepsen published Apples, a small, beautifully illustrated book of 90 different apple varieties. I’m trying to get through them all, but some like Pitmason Pineapple, Yellow Bellflower, and Fameuse, an old-fashioned variety used for stocking stuffing at Christmas, have eluded me. About 15 years ago I finally scored some Idareds at my favorite orchard in Lebanon County and have been buying them annually just to make baked apples. These large, finely textured apples are tart and best used for baking or applesauce, and according to page 140 in Yepsen’s book, “uncut, Idared breathes a sweet perfume. The crisp pale yellow-green flesh is juicy, fine-grained, tender, a bit tart and aromatic….” You don’t have to be a Johnny Appleseed type to swoon over his descriptions. He describes each variety like a mouthwatering jewel, which is why I always have my apple radar up and on high alert at this time of the year. I’m lucky to have found an Idared supplier close to home.
But back to apple baking. Since I’ve documented one Old Food flop and left unrecorded a second involving purple cabbage–well, at least it was a colorful failure–I needed something old-timey yet reliable. I followed the directions from Victor Lindlahr, author of the 1940 classic nutrition handbook You Are What You Eat. Lindlahr threw me a curve ball with that cabbage last week, but he did give me delicious results with the blackberry pie this summer, https://oldfoodcooking.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/you-are-what-your-eat-or-i-am-blackberry-pie/ I thought he deserved a third try with this simple apple dessert, and the directions closely match how I would have done it on my own today. I learned from my Mom. And who knows, maybe she learned her technique from Lindlahr.
You Are What You Eat Baked Apples
Victor doesn’t say this but I will. I’ve never baked a Gala or Fuji or Honeycrisp–snacking apples that are the mainstay of many brown bag lunches. I’m no apple expert but baking apples just seem to have better flavor out of the oven Yet I suppose if you want to be an anti-establishment culinary revolutionary you can do what you want. This recipe is for a single serving, and I adjusted the ingredients for four, going a bit lighter with the sugar. Truthfully, I didn’t measure. I’m turning into my Nana.
Core and pare one-inch of skin from the top of apple. Place in baking dish and fill center of each apple with 2 tablespoons sugar (I used brown). If desired, sugar may be mixed with cinnamon or nutmeg, a few raisins or chopped nuts (I used cinnamon and walnuts and dusted nutmeg over top). Maple syrup or honey may replace sugar. Fill bottom of pan with 1/4-inch water; cover and bake in 375-degree oven(I forgot to cover, oops) until apples are soft.
Note: My mother always added a small lump of butter to each apple and I did the same. Also, that water you add before baking? OOOHhh. What a lovely syrup that makes by the end. Spoon some over the apple before serving.
Old Food Cooking 
Love this receipe. I have never heard of that kind of Apple. Can’t get Macintosh in CO. They were my fav growing up in PA. See you soon XO
Linda,
I am going to try this Baked Apple recipe this weekend. It looks wonderful. Would you say that it takes about 45 minutes or so to bake the apples?
I am a lover of old fashioned rice pudding, which my Irish grandmother made for us. I have never made the rice pudding myself, but thought about it. I might dig out a recipe and give it a try one of these days.
As always, you do a great job writing this blog!!!!! Susan
We are sooooo lucky in PA to have access to farm-fresh apples. The variety is wonderful. I can’t get enough apples in the fall. I do tend to bake up whatever apples I have on hand, I don’t tend to be too picky in that regard. I do, however, treat apples like tomatoes — I eat only them them only in season and only from local farms.
I’ve never heard of Idareds — sounds like a great apple. This apple dish looks wonderful and much like something my mother made.
So nice…I love, love LOVE baked apples. I am a Pennsylvania girl too (like Beth) but live in Florida now. I miss the apple season there, the crisp air.
I have never tried to bake apples, I don’t know why. Thanks for the great idea.
Never tried Idareds — haven’t seen them around here (N. Virginia). I can almost smell those apples baking, though. 🙂
Yum, I haven’t had baked apples yet this fall. Time to remedy that. Thanks for the inspiration!
That’s an apple I haven’t ever heard of – I must get back to baking apples – it was about the first thing I ever made as a girl. Cheers
I’ve never tried Idards and I’m in New Jersey relatively close to PA. We mainly have macouns, fuji, macintosh, and gala. The baked apple recipe looks wonderful.
I’ve never really liked baked apples – only apple crisp with all that streusel topping or pie with all that crust to go with the apple — but having that sweet syrup to spoon over them after they’ve baked might make all the difference!
Those baked apples look scrumptious! I’ve never heard of an Idared, but now I’m curious. I’ll be looking more closely the next time I get to a ‘real’ farmer’s market (and not the thing we have down the street… which is basically the same selection as our limited grocery store). Thanks for sharing!