“What are you going to
do with those? Decoration?” said the cashier as she eyed my purchase dubiously
and weighed the bag. “Not for eating,
right?”
I was in one of those
small and chi chi produce shops where every gleaming pristine piece of fruit is
placed just so, where tomatoes are always in season, and where you can pay a king’s
ransom for strawberries the size of golf balls.
The kind of place the Brits would call a greengrocer and what I usually
call a bit of a swindle.
There is one advantage
to such a store however and it’s this; they’ll bring in the oddities that mainstream
grocers won’t. Three types of radicchio
flown in from Treviso; fresh porcini mushrooms; wild blueberries, tiny and
sweet. Those treasures are seasonal and
all the more precious because of it; better buy some today, because next week
they may be gone.
I had been on the hunt
for one such prize and I wasn’t disappointed.
There, almost hidden from view, a bushel, filled to brim with tiny
colourful Lady apples.
I knew exactly what I was
going to do with these little beauties: give them an autumnal spin in the oven
and then stuff them with herbed goat cheese.
A perfect one bite seasonal sensation.
Yes, they were for eating. But
they sure look pretty too.
Baked Lady Apples
Stuffed with Herbed Goat Cheese
makes 12
1 dozen Lady apples
¼-½ maple syrup
½-¾ c softened plain goat cheese
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large sprig fresh
rosemary; more for garnish
1 1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
3 3. Place the apples, cut side up, and the tops, cut side
down, on a large baking sheet. Bake for
20-30 minutes, or until the apples are softened but not mushy. The tops may be ready more quickly; if so,
take them out and set them aside to cool while the apples continue to bake.
4 4. While the apples are baking, prepare the goat cheese
filling. Chop the herbs finely and mix
them into the cheese, incorporating fully.
5 5. When the apples are done, let them cool for 10 minutes. Fill each cavity with a generous spoonful of
goat cheese, top each apple with a “lid” and finish off with a decorative sprig
of rosemary in each apple. The apples
can be made ahead and stuffed, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Gorgeous gorgeous recipe!! These type of "green grocers" always play with my consciousness. I always try to buy local, regional produce where possible and going into such places seeing the little delicacies you described ... well can be very tempting. A lovely dish - can imagine it with a nice duck breast. Yum!
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, these are just too precious for words! I can almost relate to the cashier's reaction, because those little apples are bordering on "too cute to eat" territory.
ReplyDeleteOh Duchess, this is divine. Never had goats cheese with apples and it seems so perfect
ReplyDelete