4 lbs cooking apples (peel, core and slice for about 10 cups)
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
grated peel of one lemon
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of a good cognac or apple brandy
4 Tbsp of butter
4 eggs & 1 egg white

Caramel

1/2 cup of sugar
2 Tbsp of water

• Cook the apples over high heat, covered for 10 min.
• Turn down the heat and cook for another 15 minutes or until tender and broken down.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• While the apples are cooking, make the caramel with 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 Tbsp of water in a saucepan.
• As soon as it turns gold in color, line a 6 cup, fireproof, cylindrical mold.
• Mix together the cinnamon, peel of lemon and sugar and add to the apple sauce.
• Boil until the apples are reduced to a thick purée. You should have about 4 cups of applesauce.
• Remove from the heat and mix in the cognac or brandy and the butter.
• One by one, beat in the eggs and the egg white.
• Turn the apple mixture into the caramel-lined mold.
• Cover with a plate and set in a deep saucepan with boiling water.
• Place in lower third of preheated oven and cook for 1 hour.
• Uncover and cook until the dessert shrinks from the side and the top is set except at the very center.
• Check with a knife after about 1/2 hour.
• Remove the mold from the saucepan and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
• Reverse on a serving dish and serve warm.
• To serve cold, chill overnight and reverse on a serving dish; in a few minutes it will dislodge itself from the mold.
• Simmer some brandy in the mold to dissolve any remaining caramel and strain over the dessert.
• You can also serve it with a warm crème anglaise.