GREENSBORO, N.C. — This year, Our State magazine is celebrating its 90th anniversary and to mark the milestone each month, Our State will feature retro recipes from the archives as we revisit flavors from pages past.
For October Chef Lynn Wells has adapted these recipes for current times: Sorghum Pudding Cake, Baked Apples with Thyme, Persimmon Cake, and Sausage & Cheese Cornbread.
You can find the Baked Apples with Thyme recipe right here. This recipe comes from Florence Phillips, who, along with her husband, Robert, owned Apple Valley Farm, a 45-acre orchard in Mitchell County. Robert was celebrated for his conservation methods, including mulch farming, reforestation, and improving his pasture. The Agricultural Extension office in Mitchell County was quoted in a 1993 issue of The State, crediting Robert with helping “apple growers in the area organize an apple cooperative that packed and sold 50,000 to 100,000 bushels of apples for 20 years to northern and southern markets.”
Baked Apples with Thyme
6 large cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or Honey Crisp, peeled and cored 6 tablespoons unsalted butter Juice from 1 lemon + cold water to yield ⅓ cup 1 cup granulated sugar Sprigs of thyme, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350°.
Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
Place apples, cored side up, in prepared dish. Place a tablespoon of butter inside each apple. Drizzle lemon juice and water mixture over apples. Sprinkle tops of apples with sugar.
Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until apples are cooked through. Turn apples over and baste with juices. Cover with foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Serve on a platter and finish with a drizzle of juices from baking dish and sprigs of thyme.