I love the produce during this beautiful time of year between summer and spring. At the market, I bought lovely Winesap apples and the first tomatoes, and made this recipe. The local fresh thyme really rounds out the flavor.

Apples and Glazed Cherry Tomatoes with Salt Caramel and Vanilla Ice Cream

Apples
6 tart and crisp apples, like Winesap or Braeburn, washed, dried, and cored
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup raisins
zest and juice of 1 lemon
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Caramel Sauce
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1½ teaspoons unsalted butter

Tomatoes
12 ounces cherry or other small tomatoes, washed and stemmed
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh thyme, stemmed


1.    Preheat the oven to 350F.

2.    Prepare the apples: Place the apples on a flat surface and cut them into 4 even pieces. Remove the skin, if desired. Remove the seeds and core of each piece. Arrange the apple slices in a single layer in a baking dish. Halve the lemon and orange and squeeze the juice from both over the apples. In a bowl, combine the maple syrup, raisins, lemon zest, orange zest, cinnamon, and ginger. Top the apples with this mixture and dot the surfaces with butter.

3.    Fill the bottom of the pan with ½ an inch of water (or substitute apple cider, if desired). Cover tightly with tinfoil and cook in the oven until the apples are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 25-30 minutes.

4.    Make the caramel sauce: Place the sugar in a very clean saucepan and drizzle the water over it. Swirl the sugar and water together and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat. Once it boils, lower the heat. Add the sea salt. When it turns golden brown, swirl the butter in and when it melts, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

5.    Combine the tomatoes, powdered sugar, olive oil and fresh thyme in a bowl and toss to blend. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven to cook. Cook for only 10-15 minutes to "dry" them out a little. Remove the tray from the oven and set them aside to cool.

6.    Serve the dessert: Gently heat the caramel sauce until it becomes loose again.  Add the tomatoes and toss to coat in the sauce. Arrange the apples on the bottom of the plates and top each with some of the tomatoes and the caramel sauce. Finish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.