A while back I shared a recipe for baked stuffed apples. It wasn't T&T but definitely on my radar to try. I'm happy to report, this past weekend, I had an opportunity to make a version of them and wow, they were everything I'd hoped they'd be.
The recipe was inspired because I wanted to serve something else with waffles or pancakes...and especially for serving a crowd, I wanted something I could put together in advance. Check, check, and check.
This month my cookbook group tackled the Cafe Beaujolais Breakfast cookbook...and when I spotted the stuffed apples, that was it. The recipes were all terrific and they have a reprint with more photos that came out with the 2006 edition. I highly recommend it. It's the book I keep reaching for over and over again and has a permanent place in my kitchen. (As opposed to the mountain of "recreational reading" cookbooks...)
So, without further ado, here's the baked stuffed apples. My only change is...the recipe says to serve the apples whole, but I halved them and we were quite satisfied with half. No need to increase the stuffing quantity. The recipe as written is fine if you halve the apples.
Sausage-Stuffed Baked Apples
Adapted from Cafe Beaujolias Morning Food
4 baking apples simliar in size (Rome Beauty or Golden Delicious)
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup minced yellow onions
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
4 oz. sausage
1/4 cup currants
2 tsp fresh and finely grated ginger (I used my microplane)
2/3 cup apple juice concentrate straight from the can (do not dillute)
Preheat the oven to 275. Halve and core the apples. Enlarge the hole with a small knife to create a space with a 1/2" wall remaining. Chop up the apple "insides" and set aside.
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet and add the onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the celery and apple insides and continue cooking another 5 min until soft. Add the currants, ginger and 1/4 cup of the apple juice concentrate and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat for about 30 second until the liquid thickens a bit. Set aside.
Sautee the sliced or crumbled sausage and add to apple mixture. Stir to combine. Divide among the apple halves and place them in an 8x8 pan and add the remaining apple concentrate with 1/2 cup water and pour liquid in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Baste the apples generously with the liquid several times during baking. If the tops start to brown, cover them with foil. Test the apples with a kife. When it goes in easily, they're done. Let sit at room temp until warm, then serve or let cool and refrigerate. Cover the whol apple in foil and reheat to serve.
Traca's note: Since you're cooking the sausage both on the stovetop and in the oven, next time, I'll leave the sausage a little underdone when cooked on the stove. The meat got a little over done cooking in the oven. Otherwise, great recipe. And it's easy to do them ahead and just reheat in the morning!
The recipe was inspired because I wanted to serve something else with waffles or pancakes...and especially for serving a crowd, I wanted something I could put together in advance. Check, check, and check.
This month my cookbook group tackled the Cafe Beaujolais Breakfast cookbook...and when I spotted the stuffed apples, that was it. The recipes were all terrific and they have a reprint with more photos that came out with the 2006 edition. I highly recommend it. It's the book I keep reaching for over and over again and has a permanent place in my kitchen. (As opposed to the mountain of "recreational reading" cookbooks...)
So, without further ado, here's the baked stuffed apples. My only change is...the recipe says to serve the apples whole, but I halved them and we were quite satisfied with half. No need to increase the stuffing quantity. The recipe as written is fine if you halve the apples.
Sausage-Stuffed Baked Apples
Adapted from Cafe Beaujolias Morning Food
4 baking apples simliar in size (Rome Beauty or Golden Delicious)
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup minced yellow onions
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
4 oz. sausage
1/4 cup currants
2 tsp fresh and finely grated ginger (I used my microplane)
2/3 cup apple juice concentrate straight from the can (do not dillute)
Preheat the oven to 275. Halve and core the apples. Enlarge the hole with a small knife to create a space with a 1/2" wall remaining. Chop up the apple "insides" and set aside.
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet and add the onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the celery and apple insides and continue cooking another 5 min until soft. Add the currants, ginger and 1/4 cup of the apple juice concentrate and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat for about 30 second until the liquid thickens a bit. Set aside.
Sautee the sliced or crumbled sausage and add to apple mixture. Stir to combine. Divide among the apple halves and place them in an 8x8 pan and add the remaining apple concentrate with 1/2 cup water and pour liquid in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Baste the apples generously with the liquid several times during baking. If the tops start to brown, cover them with foil. Test the apples with a kife. When it goes in easily, they're done. Let sit at room temp until warm, then serve or let cool and refrigerate. Cover the whol apple in foil and reheat to serve.
Traca's note: Since you're cooking the sausage both on the stovetop and in the oven, next time, I'll leave the sausage a little underdone when cooked on the stove. The meat got a little over done cooking in the oven. Otherwise, great recipe. And it's easy to do them ahead and just reheat in the morning!