Baked apples with apple brandy caramel sauce and candied pistachios and almonds

With a paring knife, slice a little off the base of each apple so it stands flat.

Make an incision past the core, then core the apple three-quarters of the way down to the incision, leaving the top intact. Repeat for each apple.

Melt a little butter in a pan and brush it all over the apples.

Sprinkle the apples with castor sugar, remove the excess and set them gently in the dish.

Put an extra piece of butter on top of each apple.

Bake in a standard oven, not fan-forced, at 170C (330F) for 35 to 40 minutes, watching that they do not crack open or fall apart.

Put one tablespoon of water in a small pan off the heat, sprinkle 50 g sugar over and wait about a minute until the water is absorbed and nothing is dry.

Cook on medium-high to high heat without stirring, swirling the pan and controlling the heat, watching constantly until the caramel turns brown.

At the right colour, immediately add the apple juice (it spits) and bring back to the boil.

On low heat, optionally mix in a tablespoon or two of fresh diced apple, then add a tablespoon of Calvados and bring back to the boil.

Mix the arrowroot in a bit of water, pour it in and cook about a minute until the sauce thickens to a syrupy caramel; turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

Toss pistachios and flaked almonds with icing sugar and a tiny bit of Calvados until coated.

Scatter the mix on a baking tray, sprinkle with a little bread, and broil under the grill 8 to 10 minutes until just caramelized; scrape off the tray.

Plate: a dash of caramel sauce where the apple will stand, the baked apple on it, candied nuts sprinkled around, and caramel sauce poured over to run onto the plate.