Sometimes hundred-year-old cookbooks contain recipes with names that seem incorrect or make little sense. I recently came across a 1926 recipe for “Grilled Apples” that basically was for peeled apple quarters that were smothered in a caramel-flavored sauce and then baked until tender. Dark corn syrup provided the caramel flavor in the sauce. The recipe did indicate that the baked apples were supposed to be put under the broiler to brown the apples after they were baked, so maybe that’s why the recipe author called them “Grilled Apples.”
The Grilled Apples (Apples with Caramel Sauce) were tasty and made a nice fruit dessert. The sauce had a rich, robust sweetness with hints of caramel and a slight molasses flavor.
Here is the original recipe:
This recipe was in a cookbook published by the Corn Products Refining Company. The cookbook promoted the use of Karo corn syrup, but any dark corn syrup would work in this recipe. I have a somewhat negative opinion of corn syrup, but the brand I used said on the label that it contained “0 grams” of high fructose corn syrup which reassured me a little.
I also did an online search to learn more about high fructose corn syrup, and found a FAQ page on the Karo website. It says that Karo does not currently contain high fructose corn syrup:
When Karo® was introduced in 1902, it did not contain high fructose corn syrup. In the 1970s, high fructose corn syrup was added to the Karo® Light, Karo® Dark and Karo® Pancake Syrups. In response to consumer requests, high fructose corn syrup was removed from Karo® Light and Karo® Dark.
It’s interesting that cooks using Karo both a hundred years ago and now are not using a syrup that contains high fructose corn syrup, but that during some of the intervening years they were.
Mazola Corn Oil is another product made by the same company that makes Karo. I didn’t bother to grease the baking dish, but, if desired, it could be greased with butter or any cooking oil.
Here is the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Grilled Apples (Apples with Caramel Sauce)
4 cups quartered apples (Use an apple variety that keeps its shape when baked – Haralson, Rome, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Braeburn, etc.)
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon salt
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
Step 2. Put the corn syrup, water, and salt in a bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.
Step 3. Put the quartered apples in a single layer in a flat baking dish. (A 9-inch by 9-inch baking dish works well.)
Step 4. Spoon the corn syrup mixture over the apples, then put the apples in the oven.
Step. 5. Bake until the apples are tender (approximately 30 – 45 minutes); occasionally baste the apples with some of the syrup while baking.
Step 6. Put the cooked apples under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to lightly brown the apples. The apples can be served either hot or cold.
Almost a caramel apple.
Thanks for sharing your updated recipe, Sheryl. When I was a small child I remember my mother making a similar apple dish (I don’t know whether she used corn syrup though) and serving it warm with vanilla ice cream. I loved mixing the ice cream together with the baking sauce – which as I recall solidified it slightly – and remember absolutely loving it!