perfidy

Deserts are often boring. Tastes: vanilla, chocolate, berry. Textures: cake, mousse, ice cream. This is a fairly limited palate. One day in the middle of a field in Deleware, I was in an iron chef cooking contest and came up with something different:

Apples a la Buckethead

This is a simple recipe, and takes only minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

• Two apples
• Olive oil
• Brown Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Finely diced hot pepper

Wedge and core the apples. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of olive oil (regular vegtetable oil will work in a pinch) into a skillet over medium to medium high heat. Throw in the apples, sprinkle a few pinches of brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon over them. Add as much of the hot peppers as you dare. Cook for three to four minutes, stirring frequently. Serve by itself or over vanilla ice cream.

This desert is utterly simple to make, yet doesn't taste like any other desert I've had. The spice is mellowed a bit by the sweetness of the apples, and the combination is divine. For a twist, substitute pears for apples.