Creme Brulee Stuffed Apples

How I love a hot, juicy, delicious, apple dumpling on a crisp fall day. Add a good book in your favorite cozy reading spot and we are now talking serious business. And if a super-soft knitted throw is added to the picture ... I see a nap in the future. But this dessert has no pastry, no dripping thick sweet juices. Instead, it's a wonderful center of warm creme brulee. What an unusual but nice change from the delicious apple dumplings that I love.

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
3 large yolks
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
Pinch salt
Four 8-ounce apples

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Have ready a 9 & 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate.

2. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, and the salt in a heatproof bowl. Pour a little of the hot cream over the yolk mixture, whisking constantly, to temper the yolks. Then whisk in the remaining cream. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Do not let it boil.

3. Cut the top 1/4-inch off each apple, and then peel a 1.2-inch-wide strip of skin from around the top of the apple. Core each apple, using a melon baller or a sharp spoon. You want to scrape out quite a bit of the apple while leaving an intact wall of flesh about 1/2-inch thick. It is very important that not cuts go through the skin.

4. Place the apples in the pie plate, and pour the creme mixture into the apples.

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the creme is puffed and a bit golden. Let cool to room temperature, or to a barely warm temperature.

6. Spoon the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar over the creme, 1 tablespoon on top of each apple. Caramelize using a propane torch, or place under the broiler until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Bake It To The Limit by Dede Wilson