BAKED APPLES.—­Moderately tart apples or very juicy sweet ones are best for baking.  Select ripe apples, free from imperfections, and of nearly equal size.  Wipe carefully and remove the blossom ends.  Water sufficient to cover bottom of the baking dish, should be added if the fruit is not very juicy.  If the apples are sour and quite firm, a good way is to pare them before baking, and then place them in an earthen pie dish with a little hot water.  If they incline to brown too quickly, cover the tops with a granite-ware pie dish.  If the syrup dries out, add a little more hot water.  When done, set them away till nearly cold, then transfer to a glass dish, pour the syrup, which should be thick and amber colored, over them.  Sour apples are excellent pared, cored, and baked with the centers filled with sugar, jelly, or a mixture or chopped raisins and dates.  They should be put into a shallow earthen dish with water sufficient to cover the bottom, and baked in a quick oven, basting often with the syrup.  Sweet apples are best baked without paring.  Baked apples are usually served as a relish, but with a dressing of cream they make a most delicious dessert.

CITRON APPLES.—­Select a few tart apples of the same degree of hardness, and remove the cores.  Unless the skins are very tender, it is better to pare them.  Fill the cavities with sugar, first placing in each apple a few bits of chopped citron.  If the skins have been removed, place the stuffed apples on a flat earthen dish with a tablespoonful of water on the bottom; cover closely, and bake till perfectly tender, but not till they have fallen to pieces.  If the skins are left on, they may be baked without covering.  When cold, serve in separate dishes, with or without a spoonful or two of whipped cream on each apple.

LEMON APPLES.—­Prepare tart apples the same as for citron apples.  Fill the cavities made by removing the cores with a mixture of grated lemon and sugar, squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over each apple, and bake.  Serve with or without whipped cream.

BAKED PEARS.—­Hard pears make an excellent dessert when baked.  Pare, halve, remove seeds, and place in a shallow earthen dish, with a cup of water to each two quarts of fruit.  If the pears are sour, a little sugar may be added.  Bake, closely covered, in a moderate oven until tender.  Serve with sugar and cream.  Tart pears are the best for baking, as the sweet varieties are often tasteless.

BAKED QUINCES.—­Pare and remove the cores.  Fill the cavities with sugar, put in a shallow earthen dish, and add water to cover the bottom; bake till soft, basting often with the syrup.  If the syrup dries out before the fruit is perfectly tender, add a little more hot water.

PIPPINS AND QUINCE.—­Pare and quarter nice golden pippins, and cook in boiling water until reduced to a jelly.  Add two or three quinces sliced, and simmer slowly in the jelly until the quince is tender.  Add sugar to taste.  Serve cold.