Apple season is upon us, and our local product is fantastic this year. With apples this good, a simple treatment is the best approach. Choose firm-textured, sweet apples for baking, such as Royal Gala, Northern Spy, Fuji, or if you are lucky enough to have them in your area, Pink Lady. Save the Macintosh for apple sauce, and the Red Delicious for the lunchbox.

If you are unfamiliar with some of the apples in your area, buy a few varieties and have a tasting. The texture and flavour of apples vary greatly. Some are soft-textured, great for apple sauce or pies, and some are firm, better for baking or open-faced tarts. Some, like the Granny Smith, are fairly tart, and others, like the Fuji, are quite sweet. Discover which apple is just right for you!

Ingredients:

4 apples
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup buckwheat honey (preferably organic)
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme, with flowers if possible, finely chopped

Core the apples whole, with an apple corer. Check the hole for stray seeds and remove with a paring knife if necessary.

Dot the apples with the butter. Alternately, you could melt the butter and brush it onto the apples. Bake at 350 degrees until soft. Turn oven off and keep apples warm while you prepare the honey.

Warm honey in a small pot over low heat. Do not let boil. When warm and loose textured, stir in thyme. Cover pot, remove from heat and let infuse 5 minutes.

To serve, place a baked apple in the center of a plate, drizzle 1 tbsp. of the warm thyme-infused honey around, and serve promptly!

Tip: Scoring the apple gently around the circumference helps to prevent the skins from tearing or bursting.

Naomi's wine suggestion: When I first served this dessert, to a group of colleagues at a dinner in our home, Naomi matched it with a 1996 Delheim Edelspatz 'Noble Late Harvest' dessert wine from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. It went perfectly with the apple, and the slight gaminess of the buckwheat honey. To order the current vintage of this wine, contact Wineworld at (416) 487-7140.