sf wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:19:55 -0500, James Silverton
> > wrote:
>
>> On 2/11/2013 2:49 PM, sf wrote:
>>> On Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:46:01 -0800, "Cheri" >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>> On 11/02/2013 11:42 AM, wrote:
>>>>>> For bird's-nest pudding, I need to make a hole to put the brown
>>>>>> sugar in. Clearly, I don't want the hole to go all the way
>>>>>> through. I don't have a regular apple corer, but the ones I've
>>>>>> seen at Google Images don't really look any better than my
>>>>>> peeler. In short, I can only do it slowly and carefully - with a
>>>>>> paring knife if I want enough room. Got any other ideas?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> Use a corer and go all the way through. Then cut the end of
>>>>> the core and plug it back into the apple.
>>>>
>>>> Now, that's a good idea.
>>>>
>>> Agreed!
>>>
>>>
>> That's how I do for microwaved baked apple (4 minutes). Fill the
>> apple with raisins and grate on nutmeg and perhaps add some brown
>> sugar.
>
> I tell ya... this is opening a whole new world for me. Maybe that's
> how grandpa made the brown sugar & cinnamon stay in the core of his
> baked apples. I don't remember that part and always wondered what I'm
> doing wrong when it melts out and goes all over the pan.
>
> In any case, after looking at a lot of Bird's Nest Pudding recipes via
> Google Images - I've decided that it really doesn't matter about
> containing the batter because it looks and sounds like a sweet version
> of Toad in the Hole to me. If I ever tried making Bird's Nest
> Pudding, I'd probably cut my apples in half at the equator (because we
> never want to eat a whole one anyway) and go for this look.
> http://trialx.org/wp-content/uploads..._Pudding-1.jpg

We like Lidia Bastianich's recipe for baked apples except that we don't put
on the chocolate sauce or cherries. She cores each one and puts a cinnamon
stick inside. But I would only make them that way if I wanted to be fancy.
Husband and daughter love the slices that you can get at Costco. If I have
extra, or sometimes I will just buy extra to do this... I throw them in a
baking dish with a little margarine (you could use butter), brown sugar
Splenda (you could use brown sugar) and cinnamon. I find that the addition
of margarine helps to thicken the liquid that comes off as they bake. Cover
to bake or the top ones will dry out.