Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 4 X 8 loaf pan.
Cut the butter into chunks and place in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Heat the butter to sizzling. Once it is foaming, stir the butter frequently until the foam subsides and the milk solids on the bottom turn golden brown. Immediately remove from the heat and pour into a medium mixing bowl.
Once the browned butter has cooled slightly, beat in one cup of brown sugar. Mix together until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until smooth
Stir in the baking soda, salt and chopped sage. Mix well. Fold in the flour until just combined, followed by the apples and raisins.
Pour into the prepared baking pan and decorate with some sage leaves, pressing them down slightly into the batter.
Bake 50-60 minutes until done.
Cool in pan for 20 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling