Sweet, juicy red apples with a nice tartness such as Elstar or Jonagold are best suited for this dessert. Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 cups unfiltered apple cider
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
A few large strips of orange zest
Juice of half a lemon
8 black peppercorns
4 apples
Directions
In a covered saucepan large enough to hold the apples in a single layer, place the cider, water, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, lemon juice and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Core the apples from the bottom trying to keep the shape of the apple intact. Leave the skin on.
Gently add the apples to the poaching liquid. If necessary, add some extra cider to completely cover the fruit. Simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer poked into an apple meets little resistance. Allow to cool completely in the liquid, preferably overnight.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the apples from their liquid and stand upright in a serving dish deep enough for the reduced liquid to be poured over. Remove zest and cinnamon stick and continue simmering to reduce the liquid to a syrupy consistency. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or room temperature.
