Small Bites

Kristen Tregar of Ossining came up with this recipe when a friend of hers said she wanted stuffed apples for dinner to celebrate her birthday.

“I have since served it at our annual Apple Party, where we and our guests go apple picking, come back and make dinner with our pickings.”

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The recipe, after the jump.

Stuffed Apples with Chicken
Makes 6 servings
6 large apples (Mead Orchards or Wilkins Farm)
1 tablespoon salted butter (Ronnybrook Farm Dairy)
1 clove garlic, minced (Cabbage Hill Farm)
1 small onion, chopped fine (Stonegate Farm- our CSA)
1 pound boneless chicken, cut in bite-sized pieces (John Boy’s Farm)
1/2 teaspoon thyme (Stonegate Stoneledge Farm- our CSA)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup chicken stock (homemade)
1 cup apple cider (Breezy Hill Orchard)
1/4 cup heavy cream (Ronnybrook Farm Dairy)

Prepare apples: Wash apples, remove stem, and core, leaving the bottom of the apple intact, if possible. Using a spoon, scoop out as much of the apple fruit as possible without disturbing the structural integrity of the apples themselves. Put the bits of apple you’ve scooped out in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use. Place the “gutted” apples on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Prepare filling: In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté until softened and starting to lightly brown. Add chicken. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and black pepper. Sauté, turning the chicken well, and allow the chicken to lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add scooped-out apple bits to skillet and sauté briefly. Add chicken stock and cider and increase heat to high, until the liquid boils. Reduce heat to simmer pan liquid. Simmer 15 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Then, stirring constantly, add heavy cream. Allow to continue to simmer 5 minutes to fully incorporate the cream.

Stuff apples: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Uncover apples. With a tablespoon, carefully fill each apple with the chicken/cream mixture, wiping off any sauce that spills over the side. Once all the apples have been stuffed, place baking sheet with apples in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until apples are hot but have not turned mushy.

I serve this with rice or orzo on the side.