Evelyn Lauder's Baked Apple Recipe

Evelyn Lauder with the chairman and chief executive of Bloomingdale's, Michael Gould, and Elizabeth Hurley It's always a pleasure to see Evelyn Lauder at a party. She inspires me with her grace, upbeat attitude, and long list of achievements. And last night I got lucky in my timing, because the party, thrown by Bloomingdale's, was in honor of Mrs. Lauder's new cookbook, "In Great Taste: Fresh, Simple recipes for Eating and Living Well" (Rodale), and I happened to be on the eve of a BIG cooking weekend: my first Rosh Hashanah dinner for a new group of friends I am eager to impress. I was telling Mrs. Lauder how I'd decided to make baked apples for dessert instead of an apple and honey cake, because it would be healthier (and these new friends are very healthy!) And to my surprise and delight, Mrs. Lauder responded with detailed instructions for baked apples, and would not be distracted from finishing, even with the arrival of Katie Couric and a tug on the shoulder from Elizabeth Hurley (it was time to go to dinner at the David Burke restaurant there). And so I give you Evelyn Lauder's recipe for baked apples and send all my wishes for a sweet New Year: "Rome apples are best for baking. Do not use Red Delicious, and Gala are okay. Core the apple and peel the outside in one ring. Take out the stem, and spinkle a little brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in the center. And it's best to use a microwave, not an oven. If the microwave is strong, it only takes 5 minutes. If you're not sure, try it for five minutes, and if the applee isn't soft, put it back in for another two minutes." As for the other chefs at the dinner, Ms. Hurley is eager to try the broccoli soup recipe in the book (p. 141), while Ms. Couric relishes the idea of cooking breakfast (perhaps "over the top" scrambled eggs?, p. 50), since she doesn't have to wake up early anymore.