12 Days of Cooking Christmas: Stuffed Baked Apples with Spiced Figs

On the 6th Day of Cooking Christmas, we offer a tasty dessert from Chef Gérard Pangaud, our resident two-star Michelin Chef.

STUFFED BAKED APPLE WITH SPICED FIGS

(serves 4 people)

INGREDIENTS

Apple stuffing

6 dry figs

4 fresh figs

1 vanilla bean

½ teaspoon of cinnamon

1 pinch of ground clove

½ teaspoon of ginger

2 ounces of pistachios

Apples

4 large baking apple (Liberty or Granny Smith)

3 tbsp water

3 tbsp rum or calvados

2 or 3 fresh figs

3 ounces crème fraiche

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the stuffing

Cut the ends off the dry figs then mince them as thin as you can.

Put in a bowl.

Dice the fresh figs and add to the dry figs.

Chop the pistachios and add to the figs.

Split the vanilla bean, and scrape out the seeds. Add that and the spices to the figs. Mix very well.

Keep at room temperature.

Prepare the apples

Preheat the oven at 360 degrees.

Wash and dry the apples. Cut the top off and scoop out the majority of the flesh. Stuff the apples with the fig mixture, and press the stuffing down. Put the tops back on.

Put water and rum into a small roasting pan, and place apples in it.

Bake for 30 minutes and bathe with the liquid.

Cool down a little bit.

Finely slice the remaining fresh figs.

On each plate, put a spoon of crème fraiche, add the baked apple and decorate with slices of figs. Serve warm but not hot.

If you want to hear Chef Pangaud’s charming stories firsthand, check out our complete list of his classes.