The beautiful Philippine Welser (1527-1580), a commoner from a wealthy family in Augsburg, secretely married in 1557 Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria. She also possessed, in addition to her considerable charms, quite a number of culinary secrets. Her notes have been preserved. Here is one of her recipes (serves 4):
4 apples cored
75 g raisins
50 g almonds chopped
20 g butter
Sauce:
500 ml milk (or 250 ml milk and 250 ml cream)
1 vanilla pod
50 g sugar
pinch of salt
2 egg yolks beaten
1 tsp corn starch
Directions for cook Baked Apples in Vanilla Sauce
Fill the cored apples with raisins and almonds. Put a flake of butter on top. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake in an oven at 225 degrees C for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile boil the spliced vanilla pod in milk and sugar. Remove the contents of the pod and stir into the milk. Dissolve the corn starch in a bit of milk, add to the mixture and bring to a brief boil. Remove from heat and stir in egg yolks and a pinch of salt. Serve the baked apples together with this sauce.
A delicious variation of this recipe can be done by filling the cored apples with sour cherries (from a tin or jar).