Despite a forecast of snow flurries, this past weekend my family and I headed to Tobermory for our annual cottage weekend away. I know it sounds a little early but a birth and wedding happening in our family this summer our weekends are already overbooked so we opted for an early retreat.
This meant our campfires were confined to the fireplace and lounging on the deck was traded for board games around the dinner table. It was a different experience but one I loved nonetheless. Just being away from the city for a few days always leaves me refreshed.
Of course, one element of the vacation that remained the same was the eating. We still relied on the barbecue for most of our meals (my favourite) and I had the chance once again to try out a new alfresco recipe. This time I opted to tackle dessert and attempted Ash-Roasted Apples with Blue Cheese-Date Stuffing and Cinnamon-Orange Caramel Sauce. It’s a recipe I’ve had my eye on since our Outdoor Entertaining Guide ran last year.
From an ingredient perspective, this recipe requires nothing you shouldn’t be able to find at your local grocer (even in a smaller cottage town) which is important. In terms of necessary tools, a corer isn’t essential but would sure make prep a lot easier (my dad and I each tried different cutting methods with relative success).
Continuing on the topic of prep, there really wasn’t much to stuffing the apples. You do need to watch your pecans closely (I burned mine just a little) but other than that whipping up the stuffing was done in minutes. As I mentioned above, bonfires weren’t an option this weekend so I opted to use the barbecue to roast my apples instead. It worked perfectly and after 30 minutes I had four tender, aromatic apples.
Something we didn’t have after dinner though was power which is why my finished shot is a little dark. Thankfully I’d made my sauce prior to dinner so it was ready to go with a quick reheat. So we enjoyed dessert by candlelight and by the time we were finished the power was back up and my family’s reviews were in.
Most declared themselves to not be fans of blue cheese, wishing I’d skipped that part and instead offered a side of vanilla ice cream. I must admit I agreed. While I do enjoy blue cheese, I found it a bit overpowering. That said, we all agreed the recipe was success because we will definitely make it again with a few small adjustments to account for personal taste.
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