by Chef Laura Frankel, author of Jewish Cooking for All Seasons (Wiley) and Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes (Wiley)
I like the play of savory and sweet together in this dish. I also love the earthy herbs with the dried fruit and fresh apples. Baked apples with stuffing make a pretty presentation and can be made up to two days before serving. The apples can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
Ingredients:
3 shallots, sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3 fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 tablespoon fresh rosemary-chopped
1 cup fresh whole wheat bread, crust trimmed off and cubed
1/4 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup dried apricots
1 tablespoon pomegranate paste
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
3 tablespoons honey
6 large firm apples, cored (I like Honey Crisp)
Directions:
Sauté the shallots with a small amount of olive oil until lightly browned and caramelized (about 7 minutes). Add the garlic and fresh herbs and cubed bread. Continue cooking until the bread has toasted slightly and the garlic has softened and is very fragrant – about 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place the dates and apricots in a food processor and pulse 10-12 times until the dates and apricots are chopped and are clumping together.
Remove the fruit to medium bowl and add the pomegranate paste, the chicken stock and shallot mixture and stir until well combined.
Stuff the mixture into the cored apples. You should have enough stuffing to generously stuff the apples and have some of the stuffing “pop” out of the top of the apples. (I love this part as it gets crispy on top!).
Place the apples in a baking dish and pour white wine and honey around the apples. Bake the apples until they are soft and wrinkly (about 30-45 minutes).