HappyCook80's Recipe

Baked Apples With Apple-Glazed Bacon

Category: Recipes

Baked Apples With Apple-Glazed Bacon

3 cups apple cider or juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
6 large baking apples, Granny Smith, Rome or MacIntosh
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons apple jelly or apple butter
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard
12 thick bacon slices, about 3/4 pound
3 to 4 tablespoons whipping cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a baking dish large enough to
hold the apples upright with an inch or two between them.

Pour the cider into a saucepan, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the
cinnamon and reduce by half over high heat.

Scoop out apple cores, leaving the bottoms intact. The small end of a melon baller works better than apple-coring gadgets. Slice a thin
ribbon of peel from the top of each apple cavity to help keep the
peel from splitting while baking.

Blend in a small bowl pecans, brown sugar, flour, butter, salt and
remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Stuff equal portions of the mixture
into each apple cavity, mounding it over the top a bit if necessary.
Pour 1 1/4 cups of the reduced apple cider into the dish, drizzling a
little over each apple in the process. Reserve remainder of cider.
Cover the apples with foil and place them in the oven. Bake for 45 to
55 minutes, depending on size or variety, or until they can be
pierced easily with a knife tip but still hold their shape.

Meanwhile, stir the jelly and mustard into the remaining 1/4 cup of
apple cider to make the glaze for the bacon.

Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet. After the
apples have baked for about 30 minutes, place the bacon in the oven as well. Uncover the apples. Bake the bacon for 10 to 12 minutes, until it begins to look opaque and its fat begins to render. Pour off any accumulated drippings.

Turn the bacon over and brush each slice, using about half of the
remaining glaze. Return to the oven and cook an additional 3 to 4
minutes. Remove the bacon from the oven and turn it over again. Brush the slices with remaining glaze and return to the oven for 3 to 5 additional minutes, until well-browned and somewhat stiff. If you
wish to drain the bacon, use a rack rather than paper towels to avoid
wiping off the glaze.

Remove apples and stir cream into pan juices. Arrange apples in small bowls, pouring enriched pan juices over them. Set the bowls on plates, and arrange a pair of bacon slices beside each bowl. Serve warm.
Serves 6.