Orchard Apples in Whiskey Sauce

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan). Lightly butter a baking dish deep enough to hold the apples without crowding; they should sit upright without touching.

Peel and core the Bramleys carefully, removing the core all the way through with an apple corer or a sharp paring knife. Leave a base of about 1cm at the bottom of each apple so the filling stays put. The cavity should be wide enough to take a generous spoonful of filling.

Mix together 30g of the brown sugar, the sultanas, chopped walnuts, cinnamon, cloves, and the tablespoon of plain flour in a small bowl. This dry mix forms the filling that will absorb the sauce as the apple bakes. Pack it firmly into each cored apple.

Place the stuffed apples in the prepared dish. Dot the tops with a few cubes of butter. Pour 80ml of water into the base of the dish; this prevents scorching during the initial bake and keeps the skins from splitting at the sides.

Bake at 180C for 30 to 35 minutes. The apples are ready when a skewer passes through the flesh with gentle resistance but not complete softness. You want them to hold their shape for plating; they will soften further in the sauce. Pull them from the oven and rest them in the dish while you make the sauce.

To make the whiskey caramel sauce, melt the remaining 60g butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining 90g brown sugar and stir continuously with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture begins to smell nutty and slightly darkened at the edges.

Remove the pan from the heat before adding the whiskey. Pour it in steadily, standing back as it will spatter and steam. Return to a low heat and stir to bring the caramel back together; any seized lumps will dissolve within 30 seconds of gentle stirring.

Add the double cream in a slow pour while stirring. Increase the heat to medium and let the sauce bubble for 3 to 4 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon thickly. Add the vanilla extract and salt, then taste. The whiskey should be present but not raw; if it still tastes sharp, give it another minute on the heat.

Transfer the rested baked apples to warmed serving bowls using a large serving spoon and supporting the base of each apple. Spoon the hot whiskey sauce over and into the cored centre of each apple so it pools around the base. Serve immediately with double cream poured at the table, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream set beside the apple rather than on top of it.