Tuesday, October 18, 2011

a bushel and a peck, etc.

Deciding what to cook with a bushel of apples is not as easy as it seems. Especially when you're allergic to apples, and most recipe only call for one to two apples each. But if you've been keeping up with us for any amount of time, you know that I do enjoy a challenge.

Sanne and I made the applesauce yesterday, which is great for baking. Applesauce can replace oil in most baking recipes. Sanne uses it in her from-scratch brownies, a trick I have definitely adapted myself. It's much healthier, and the flavor is really great.

We also talked about using apple in our upcoming Thanksgiving Test-Kitchen! Yes, Thanksgiving is on its way, so it's time we started thinking about our menu! Sooo excited about this! (Read about part one and part two from last year here.)

So today, I'm on the search for more apple recipes that aren't pie, cake or tarts, and I think I hit the jackpot! Delish.com has a bushel of delicious-looking recipes, and today I'm going to try out not one, but TWO of them!

I decided to start with apple chips. They bake for about an hour and a half, so while I wait for them, I can be prepping dinner, which is what I'm really excited about.

Fill a medium-sized bowl with ice, water and a tablespoon or two of lemon juice. Slice two apples as thinly as possible and let them soak in the ice water for about 5 minutes.



Lay the apple slices on a pan lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with sugar (and cinnamon), bake for 90 minutes in a 200 degree oven.


This recipe was kind of a disaster. Only a handful of apple chips survived, the rest stuck to the wax paper and the pans. I'm not sure how I'm going to get all that paper off...

Anyway, the next recipe is Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Apple and Goat Cheese.

For 4 servings, you will need:

4 large chicken breasts
3oz goat cheese
1t lemon zest
1 large apple; peeled, cored and shredded
flour, for dusting
1 egg
1 1/3c bread crumbs
1/2c grated parmesan cheese
2T unsalted butter
2T olive oil

I used the rest of our grilled cheese bread to make breadcrumbs...


I pulsed them in the food processor and dried them out for about 5-10 min in a 350 degree oven.


 And I used an empty beer bottle to pound the chicken.



Pound the chicken between two sheets of parchment paper. Then season with salt and pepper.
Then shred 1 peeled, cored apple into a bowl. Add lemon zest and goat cheese and mix well.


Spoon some of the mixture onto one side of each chicken breast.



Fold them over and press to form a pocket.


 Then, dredge each chicken breast in egg, flour, and breadcrumb mixture.





Heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Cook through, about 7-8 minutes each side.




And there you have it. I would definitely make these again, they were awesome.

So that's three apple recipes down, and we have about a peck left. Maybe something dessert-y next?

m



3 comments:

  1. Now THAT looks great and a definite on the list to try!

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  2. I love when I already have most of the ingredients on hand! Besides the goat cheese, I'm ready to try this!

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  3. That's exactly why I made it too, Nicole!
    m

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