Apples -- a Winter Rose.

Don't ask why the title...cooking is like poetry, no questions asked...nothing but engaging the senses..
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I love winter time, yes I do, in small, intense doses...I don't like this gray carpet for a sky, but I do love chilly crisps freezing days... I like winter, because I am urged to stay indoors and indulge...

And for some reason, I associate winter time with apples and cinnamon, The mixed scent of apples and cinnamon is mind blowing...

I think the fragrance industry must have figured out that this combo of scents is potent, and I noticed that shops make it a point to sell apples and cinnamon scented candles, specially around Christmas.

It is not only the smell that is alluring, but the taste...and I shall give you a simple, recipe for winter, that will warm your palate and your heart - Baked Apples.

Wait, it's not any baked apples it's Layla's baked apples.

Two kinds of apples : I call them Green Skinned ones and Red skinned ones.
The Green ones can be Granny Smith or Golden. Avoid yellow skinned ones as they are too sweet. Red skinned ones are red skinned ones and I don't know their name. If you can't find Greenish ones, no worries, stick to Red only.

Why the mix of both ? Good question. The mix of the tangy sourness of the green ones goes very well with the sweetness of the red ones. And you need to get that right mixture but not necessarily so...as I said you can stick to one kind only.

Slice apples in nice chunks, not thin, keep skin on...place in a glass plate, prepare your winter sauce : for 2 apples you need :

- 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey
- tablespoon of rose water

Pour the mix over the apples, and make sure that they taste it -- then be generous with the cinnamon (powder), but not too generous, as too much of everything can turn into bitterness - but you need enough to have that smell fill up your kitchen...cover with foil, and bake in oven until tender...

Serve HOT with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream or just by itself, decorate with a cinnamon stick and whiff away the wonderful smell of winter roses...