Ingredients:
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Directions:
Peel and core the apples, leaving them whole. Cut off the tops and bottoms to give the apples flat surfaces to rest on.
Melt 12 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet, over medium heat. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of sugar and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the mixture begins to turn golden brown and caramelized. Add the brandy and lemon juice and stir to blend. Adjust the heat so the mixture remains at a simmer.
Place the apples in a single layer in the liquid and simmer until the submerged portion is tender, basting occasionally, about 15 minutes. Turn the apples over and cook until tender all the way through, about 15 minutes more. Remove from the liquid and set aside to cool.
Heat the oven to 400 degress. Line a sheet pan with parchment or buttered wax paper.
Unroll the puff pastry on a work surface. Brush the pastry with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Toss 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over the pastry. Working lengthwise, cut the pastry into 6 long strips, each 3/4-inch wide. Lightly twist the strips, keeping the cinnamon sugar on the inside, to make long twisted "straws" with barber-pole stripes of plain pastry and cinnamon-sprinkled pastry. The finished straws should be about 8-inches long. Transfer to the pan, run your fingers along the twists to straighten them, bake about 20 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
Pour the remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar into the center of a saucepan. Carefully pour the water around the sugar, trying not to splash any sugar onto the sides of the pan. Do not stir; gently draw your finger through the center of the sugar, making an X, to moisten it. Bring to a boil over medium heat without stirring. Cook until light caramel in color and immediately remove from the heat. Carefully, stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until smooth (it will bubble up and may splatter).
To serve, place an apple on each serving plate. Drizzle with caramel sauce, sprinkle with peanuts, and place a pastry straw in the hole of each apple so that it sticks up like a wooden stick.
Serve with a dollop of Spiced Cream on the side. |
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