Title: Baked apples stuffed with mascarpone and cherries
 Categories: Fruits/dess, Nuts/desser
      Yield: 4 Servings
 
      4 lg Baking apples; (Pippen or
           -Rome Beauty or Cortland)
    1/4 c  Hot water
      2 c  Zinfandel
    1/2 c  Dried tart cherries
    1/2 c  Sargento Ricotta or
           -Mascarpone cheese
      3 oz Neufchatel cheese
  1 1/2 ts Grated lemon rind
    1/4 ts Salt
  1 1/2 tb Sugar
           Spiced Pecans; see recipe
 
  Slice 1/2-inch piece off top of Each apple; reserve. Core apples using
  small melon baller; discard core. Peel upper one-fourth of each apple;
  place in shallow baking dish just large enough to hold apples. Replace
  apple tops and pour 1/4 cup hot water around apples. Bake at 350øF 45
  minutes, basting occasionally, or until apples are tender but still
  hold their shape. In saucepan, heat wine and cherries to simmer. Turn
  off heat; let stand 30 minutes to plump cherries. Strain cherries;
  reserve both cherries and wine separately. In medium Mixing bowl, mix
  cherries, Ricotta, Neufchatel, lemon rind and salt; set aside. In
  small saucepan, heat wine and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer
  until wine is reduced to 1 cup. Cool slightly; keep warm until
  serving time. Remove apples from oven; let cool 15 minutes. Remove
  and set aside apple tops. Carefully fill cavity of each apple with
  one-fourth of cheese mixture, mounding it on the apple tops. Replace
  apple tops. Return to oven briefly to rewarm, if desired. Transfer
  arm apples to serving plates, sprinkle with Spiced Pecans and pour
  sauce around and over them. 4 servings. Source: Zinfandel Restaurant
  ~ Chicago IL Original Title: Baked Apples Stuffed with Mascarpone,
  Dried Cherries and Spiced Pecans Downloaded from