Vegan Baked Apples Baklava

Yield: 4 servings

If you love baked apples and baklava (without the honey, of course)--heck, maybe even if you don't--you will flip over this recipe. It is so warming on a crisp morning or evening and is as good for breakfast as it is for dessert. (It's not heavy, but it is generously proportioned, so it best follows a meal on the lighter side.) Don't be tempted to dispense with the sauce, as it adds just the right contrast in texture, temperature and tartness. Similarly, the combination of vegan butter and olive oil is very intentional, as the latter lends an ultra-appealing savory quality to the dish.

2 large red apples

Filling:
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon apple pie spice
2 teaspoons agave nectar or brown rice syrup
16 sheets phyllo dough, approximately 8 x 13 inches each, thawed
juice of one lemon
¼ cup butter or vegan butter, melted
¼ cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine first four filling ingredients with a fork and your fingers and set aside. Remove stems of apples and slice in half lengthwise. Using a melon baller, remove core of apples in two scoops to make a generous compartment for filling. Rub cut surface of apple with lemon juice. Press ¼ of walnut filling into each hollowed out compartment. Combine butter and olive oil in a small dish. Unroll phyllo dough; cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel. Remove one sheet of dough to a flat surface and brush lightly with butter-oil mixture. Repeat with three more sheets. Place apple half, filling side up, in center of stacked phyllo. Bring up one corner over filling, then opposite corner. Repeat with remaining corners, smoothing as you go, to make a tight package. Brush on a little more butter-oil mixture and place flat side down on a baking sheet or stone. Brush top with a little more butter-oil, smoothing down edges of dough. Repeat with remaining apples and filling. Sprinkle each with ¼ teaspoons sugar. Bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare sauce.

Sauce:
¾ cup apple cider
¾ cup sugar
½ cup agave nectar or brown rice syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick, halved
Optional Garnish: 8 walnut halves or additional chopped walnuts

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly or to room temperature to serve. Remove cinnamon stick before serving or use as a garnish. To serve, place each baked apple on a dessert plate and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with optional walnut halves or chopped walnuts. Serve warm.