German baked apples
{{short description|German baked apples dessert}}
German baked apples ({{langx|de|Bratapfel}}) are a German dish of baked apples traditionally made with the Dutch Belle de Boskoop apple. They can be prepared with many different fillings and are a common Christmas dish.{{cite book |last1=Boone |first1=Mary |title=Midwestern Recipes |date=15 September 2011 |publisher=Mitchell Lane Publishers |isbn=9781612281650 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rcWXBgAAQBAJ&dq=bratapfel+christmas&pg=PA36}} Often they are served with vanilla custard.{{cite book |last1=Heinzelmann |first1=Ursula |title=Food Culture in Germany |date=2008 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9780313344947 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JhapoF1nfwQC}}
Background
Apples are the most widely grown fruit in Germany, used to prepare many dishes and beverages in German cuisine.{{cite web |title=Baked Apples with Marzipan and Cranberry |url=https://germanfoods.org/recipes/baked-apples-with-marzipan-and-cranberry/}} Apples were the only locally grown fruit in Germany that kept during the winter months, which made baked apples an economical choice for holiday desserts in the Christmas traditions of Germany or as a sweet main dish in cold weather.{{cite web |title=German Baked Apples (Bratapfeln) |website=The Spruce Eats |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/german-baked-apples-recipe-bratapfeln-1446797}}{{cite book |title=The World Religions Cookbook |date=2007 |publisher=Greenwood Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ORy2aVD7cEgC&pg=PA63 |page=63|isbn=9780313342639 }}
Preparation
The whole apples once cored can be stuffed with assorted fillings made from chopped almonds, marzipan, raisins, rum, butter, lemon juice, sugar, spices and other ingredients. Some versions are baked in a baking dish with white wine and honey and baked until tender. They are usually served with vanilla custard or ice cream.[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60068798/bratapfel/ Baked Apples Offer a Taste of Germany]
Apples can be baked on top of a wood stove or in the oven in round enamel cast iron dishes called "apple schnitzers". The dish has a spike in the center that cooks the cored apple from the inside out. Schnitzers may be a German invention, no longer widely used in Germany, but still found among Amish communities in the United States.{{cite web |title=Baking Apples in a Schnitzer |work=Smithsonian Magazine |date=November 6, 2009 |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/baking-apples-in-a-schnitzer-72219342/}}