When harvest hits, apples are plentiful. We tend to lean toward desserts like apple pie, apple crisp, apple dumplings, and apple cake. But don’t forget how versatile this delicious fruit is. You can also use apples in savory dishes (added to stuffing, sauerkraut, or served alongside chicken, sausage, or pork). Instead of using them simply as a complementary ingredient, let them take center stage in this savory take on a baked apple.
What Are the Best Apples for Braising?
Choose apples that hold their shape when cooked and balance sweetness with a little tartness. Golden Delicious are semi-sweet and turn tender and buttery without collapsing. Other good options include Jonagold, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Fuji. Avoid soft varieties such as McIntosh, which break down into applesauce. Look for medium apples of similar size so they cook evenly and fit snugly in your Dutch oven.
How Do You Make Savory Braised Apples?
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Trim a thin slice from the bottom of each apple so it sits flat, then core it from the top with a small melon baller, leaving the bottom intact.
In a lidded Dutch oven, combine the white wine, white balsamic vinegar, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and black cumin seeds. Stand the apples upright in the liquid, cover, and bake for 40 minutes.
Uncover the pot and brush each apple generously with chile Colorado sauce. Return the pot to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the apples are tender when pierced with a knife but still hold their shape.
Transfer the apples to a serving plate. Add the butter to the braising liquid in the pot and simmer on the stovetop until the sauce thickens. Brush the sauce over the apples and serve right away.
What Is Chile Colorado Sauce?
Chile Colorado, Spanish for “colored red,” is a rich sauce from northern Mexico and the American Southwest made from dried red chiles, such as New Mexico or guajillo chiles, simmered with garlic and spices and pureed until smooth. It’s smoky, earthy, and mildly spicy rather than fiery. Look for jarred red chile sauce or enchilada sauce in the Latin American aisle, or make your own by simmering rehydrated dried red chiles with garlic, cumin, and broth, then blending.
Tips for Success
Core carefully. A melon baller removes the core neatly without cutting through the bottom, so the apples hold their shape, and the glaze stays put.
Find black cumin seeds. Also called kala jeera, black cumin has a smoky, earthy flavor. Look for it at Indian grocers or spice shops, or substitute regular cumin seeds.
Fit the apples snugly. A pot that holds the apples close together keeps them upright as they braise.
Check the label. Some jarred chile sauces are thickened with wheat flour. Choose one labeled gluten-free if you’re cooking for guests who avoid gluten.
Baste as they braise. When you uncover the pot, spoon some braising liquid over the apples before brushing on the chile sauce to keep them moist.
Don’t overcook. Check the apples with a paring knife at the 15-minute mark; they should be tender but still hold their shape.
Use the leftover sauce. Extra braising sauce is delicious spooned over pork chops or roast chicken.
Can I Make These Baked Apples Ahead of Time?
Braise the apples up to a day ahead and refrigerate them in their liquid. Reheat, covered, at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, then finish the butter sauce just before serving.
What Dietary Swaps Can You Make for This Recipe?
Dairy-free: Replace the butter in the pan sauce with olive oil or plant-based butter. The sauce will be a little thinner, so simmer it a few minutes longer.
What Can I Serve with Savory Braised Apples?
Serve the apples alongside roast pork, pork chops, roast chicken, or grilled sausages. They’re also a striking side for a holiday ham or turkey.
For another savory take on the fruit, try Cheryl Alters Jamison’s Baked Apples with Sausage Stuffing.
Sara Ghedina’s Braised Red Cabbage with Apples and Anna Franklin’s Roasted Pears make delicious companions, and her Pumpkin Risotto rounds out a fall feast.
Browse more seasonal ideas in our Fall recipes.
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Savory Braised Apples
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Whole Golden Delicious apples braised in white wine, white balsamic, garlic, thyme, and black cumin, glazed with chile Colorado sauce and a buttery pan sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 or 9 Golden Delicious or other semi-sweet apples
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp black cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup chile Colorado sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Trim a small slice off the bottom of each apple so it sits flat, then core with a small melon baller.
- In a lidded Dutch oven, combine the wine, vinegar, garlic, and spices. Set the apples upright in the liquid and cover.
- Bake covered for 40 minutes.
- Uncover and brush each apple generously with chile Colorado sauce.
- Bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes more.
- Transfer the apples to a plate.
- Add the butter to the braising liquid and simmer until the sauce thickens.
- Brush the sauce over the apples and serve immediately with roast pork or chicken.
Notes
Black cumin: Substitute regular cumin seeds if needed.
Chile sauce: Use jarred red chile or enchilada sauce; check labels for gluten.
Dairy-free: Use olive oil or plant-based butter in the sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 apple
- Calories: 160
About the Recipe Author and Photographer
Keith Recker is Editor in Chief and Co-Owner of TABLE Magazine, directing coverage of food and drink, design, fashion, travel, and the arts across its Pittsburgh and New Mexico editions. A color and trend forecaster for clients including Pantone and WGSN, he is the author of three books on color and craft, most recently Deep Color: The Shades That Shape Our Souls. Read Keith’s articles.
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