Ingredients

  • 4 large golden delicious apples, peeled and cored to within 1/4 inch of the bottom
  • 4 tablespoons whole cranberry sauce
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick (broken into several pieces)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream, stiffly whipped with (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar, and (optional)
  • 12 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Method

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Butter a 3-qt casserole and set aside.
  • Fill the center of each apple with cranberry sauce, mounding it ever so slightly on top.
  • Stand the apples in the prepared casserole, arranging them so they don't touch the casserole sides or one another.
  • Pour the red wine evenly over the apples, then drop the cloves, the pieces of cinnamon and butter into the casserole, distributing them evenly.
  • Finally, sprinkle 1 T sugar over each apple.
  • Bake the apples, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes, till tender, basting with the casserole liquid ever 10 minutes.
  • serve hot or warm, spooning a bit of the liquid over the top of each apple and adding, if desired, a dollop of the whipped topping.