>> Recipes of Fall 2009

Virginia Baked Apples

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut out the core of six apples a little more than halfway down the fruit. Pare off a little of the apple skin around the top. In a medium–sized bowl, mix 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup room-temperature butter, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg until blended. Equally spoon mixture into apple cores, place apples in a shallow baking dish and bake for about 15 minutes until apples just become tender.

Remove from the oven, plate individually and drizzle on some of the pan sauce. Top each apple with vanilla ice cream, a sprinkling of ground cinnamon, a cinnamon stick and mint sprig. Sprinkle some granola around the perimeter of the plate.

Our Virginia Baked Apples dish is wonderful served with a sparkling apple cider, like that from La Provencale Cellars (www.lemousseux.com) or a hard apple cider from Foggy Ridge Cider (www.foggyridgecider.com).

For a homemade granola recipe, visit VWL editor Patrick Evans-Hylton's blog at www.patrickevanshylton.com

Country Ham Cibatta

Slice a four-inch piece of ciabatta or other similar bread in half lengthwise, brush lightly with olive oil, and place under broiler until golden. In a small bowl, combine two tablespoons room-temperature cream cheese with two tablespoons Hot Apple Jalapeno Spread. Crack fresh ground pepper atop and add a small bunch of watercress or arugula and then thin slices of country ham. Cut in half widthwise and serve with White Hall Vineyard’s 2007 Gewurtztraminer.