Festooned Apples

• 6 baking apples

• 1 1/2 cups water

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon jam

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 6 teaspoons orange marmalade, jam or jelly

• 1 recipe for any double pie crust

1. Core the apples almost to the bottom, then peel them.

2. Mix the water, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and jam in a saucepan with a lid, then heat the mixture, put the apples in and cook them for three minutes.

3. Remove the apples from the pan, and fill them with a mixture of a teaspoon of marmalade and 1/2 teaspoon of butter.

4. Preheat the oven to 450 ˚F before rolling out half of the pastry and cutting out six circles. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into long strips, 6 1/2 inches wide.

5. Place an apple on each small circle of dough, then gather the pastry around the sides of the apple and pinch the dough to help it keep its shape.

6. Next wind the pastry strips around each apple, leaving the top of the apple exposed. (*The apples can also be wrapped completely larger dough circles, as in the photo above.)

7. Bake in a deep dish pan for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375 ˚F and bake a further 30 minutes (or until the crust is golden).

8. If you like, sprinkle the tops with sugar and place under the broiler for a minute or so, when the sugar begins to melt.