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["FOR THE APPLES: Peel, core and chop the apples. Place them in a pot with the water, lemon juice, sugar and spices, and stew. Your aiming for an apple sauce consistency, with some occasional chunks. When done, set aside.", "FOR THE CUSTARD: In a measuring cup, mix together the cream, egg yolks, vanilla and spices.", "FOR THE SPONGE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Using a wooden skewer, poke many holes all over the sponge cake. Alternatively, if using a store-bought sponge cake, you could slice your cake into 1"" thick long slices, fit and layer them overlapping in a greased 9"" round baking pan, or other pan of equal volume. Evenly pour the custard over the sponge cake. Let the custard soak in for a moment, then spread the apples evenly over the top.", "Bake on the middle rack for about 15 or 20 minutes, just enough time for the custard to slightly set.", "FOR THE MERINGUE: While the pudding is baking, Whip the egg whites and sugar until stiff and glossy.", "Remove the pudding from the oven and immediately spread the meringue evenly over top, using a spoon or spatula to make peaks and valleys. Spreading the meringue onto the hot apples helps eliminate any sweating of the finished meringue.", "Move the middle oven rack up one level. Bake the pudding for about 10 minutes, or until the meringue is light golden brown.", "A caramel whiskey sauce would be a nice accompaniment. A tangy lemon sauce would be equally nice, too. You can find my Lemon Dessert Sauce, Bourbon Caramel Sauce, and Balsamic Butterscotch Sauce in the archives. Any of these would be delicious with the pudding."]
