For today’s Market Matters at the Hollywood Farmers Market I brought home adorable little mini-sized apples. This is the 5th recipe in my An Apple A Day series and it is an entirely original recipe. I am calling it Pecan Stuffed Tempura Apples.

The thing about making up a recipe and posting it on a blog all in one day is that you have to realize it is a work in progress. I had to make this recipe one apple at a time, changing my method slightly each time until I got something I was happy with.

There may still be room for improvement here and I am open to your suggestions.

Although this recipe was delicious and I am very happy with the flavor combination. I will admit I had some trouble with the texture. My first attempt I stuffed a raw apple then battered and fried it. But the apple did not quite get cooked enough. As I had hoped, the interior stuffing got hot enough so that when I cut into the apple the pecan stuffing oozed out in a very satisfying manner. But there was just too much crunch left in my apple.

The second attempt, I pre-baked the apple. But it came out of the oven too mushy and it barely held together long enough to get it into the fryer.

About this time a friend called. And as I explained my dilemma he offered the solution that made it into my final recipe. He suggested I microwave the prepped apples. Bingo!

I did some experimenting. I started at 2 minutes. But in my microwave two minutes was too much. The apple had the same problem as the baked apple. It was just too soft to work with. A couple of attempts later and I finally settled on one minute in the microwave.

It’s a good thing too, because I only bought a dozen of these little apples and it took me 'til the 12^th try to get one I was happy with. If I had had one more apple I may have tried poaching the apple in a spiced liquid, then cooling the apple completely before proceeding.

The more I think about the poaching method the more it seems I may have hit upon the solution. But for now, I am posting the recipe "as is".

Because, it was quite good. But I do love the texture of a poached apple. They certainly hold their form well, and the addition a few spices poached into the flesh of the apple could make this good recipe– into a great recipe, or not....

Ohhhhh, I may even head back down the hill and pick up a few more apples and try this again.

Whaddya think?

Pecan Stuffed Tempura Apples serves 6

• 2⁄3 c dark brown sugar
• 1⁄4 T salt
• 1⁄4 t vanilla
• 3⁄4 c coarsely chopped pecan pieces
• 1 egg white
• 12 mini apples, about 2-inches in diameter each
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 c flour
• 1 T powdered sugar
• 1 c very cold water
• 2 c barely sweetened whipped cream
• Cinnamon, to taste

Add the brown sugar, salt, vanilla, pecan pieces and the egg white to a small bowl stir to mix well. Cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator, until well chilled.

When ready to serve prep the apples by using an apple-corer remove the entire core of each apple. Run the corer through the entire apple, making a hole from top to bottom.

Place all the cored apples on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave the apples for about one minute. You want to barely cook the apples. They should still be crisp and firm and hold their shape.

Once cool enough to handle fill each apple with the well-chilled pecan mixture, it should be quite sticky and not at all runny. You will probably have more pecan mixture than you need. Save it for ice cream, or bake it into a great cookie. Once filled move the prepped apples to the refrigerator while you make the tempura batter.

In a medium sized bowl. Add the egg and water to the bowl. Be sure to use very cold water. Sift the flour and confectioners sugar into the bowl and mix lightly with a fork. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.

Working one at a time, roll the apples around in the batter. Then drop them carefully into a deep fryer that has been preheated to 360 degrees F. Watch them they get golden brown very quickly. They will probably cook in less than a minute.

Serve them hot, 2 per person, with a small dollop of the barely sweetened whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

SERIOUS FUN FOOD

Greg Henry

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