Our annual pilgrimage to the Granite Belt for New Year’s always inspires me to cook, as our dear friends who live there love food, own a winery, and are great fun to be with. The area is the main stone fruit and apple growing area in Queensland, and so apples, plums, peaches and cherries are all on offer from orchard stalls. This recipe brings together caramel and apples, with the earthy aromas of rosemary, which add savoury notes to the overt sweetness of the dish. They must be eaten hot, when the caramel is at its most unctuous and the apples soft, yet holding their shape, and are excellent on their own or with thin cream or vanilla ice cream on top.
Serves 4
4 large, red eating apples (Pink Lady would be my first choice)
2/3 cup caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon
60g butter
7cm piece of fresh rosemary
sea salt
Core, halve, and slice the apples into wedges (8 per apple) and put into a bowl with the lemon juice. Toss to cover the apples and prevent them from browning. Heat the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until it starts to bubble. Tumble in the apples and the rosemary and add a tiny pinch of salt. Sprinkle over the sugar and cook until the apples are soft but still holding their shape and the caramel a dark golden brown. Remove the rosemary and serve immediately with the caramel poured over the apples.
Simple food 
Oh my word! That looks and sounds amazing. I’ve always loved a sneaky herb addition to my desserts. I’m going to have to give this a try!
I hope you give it a go and enjoy it. (It’s really good with vanilla ice cream, too) margaret
Love a lot. Mixing fruit + herbs is underrated! I love this combination; we usually do a lot of mint + supremed oranges…this looks like a nice change 😀
Agree Francesca. I also like orangs with mint and pineapple with mint, too. i have so many summer herbs at the moment and I am trying to be more creative with how I use them. Thanks for your comments. margaret