Grilled cheese must be comfort food at its best. To take it up a notch, try this one. You will be a heroine for sure.
- 1 tsp. liquid honey
- 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 thinly sliced apple
- 1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cheddar cheese,
- artisanal bread, sliced
- 1 tbsp. melted butter,
Brush each slice of the bread on the outside with the melted butter. Layer with the first layer of cheese, then the apple and avocado, another cheese layer, and topping with the 2nd slice of bread.
Heat a fry pan over medium heat and place a sandwich in the pan. Cook until it is golden and then turn over and repeat. This should take about 5 minutes.
Repeat this for each of the 4 sandwiches.
Salad
- 2 cups baby mixed greens,
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
- 1 green apple, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp. fig balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. Crisco oil
- 1 tsp. liquid honey
Mix all together in a bowl and divide equally on 4 plates with the sandwiches.
YUM!
Braised Red Cabbage
This is a great complement for game or even holiday turkey.
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 cup, finely chopped red onion
- 1 large red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cloves
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup good red wine (full bodied)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegr
- 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup grated apple
- 1/4 cup red currant jelly
Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan and saute the onions until softened (about 2 minutes). Add the cabbage and saute until coated with the oil. Add the bay leaf, cloves and allspice and season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the wine and vinegar and sprinkle in the brown sugar. Toss together and bring to a boil, stirring only occasionally.
Turn the heat to low, add the apples , over and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If you need to, add water to prevent sticking. Add the jelly and cook a further 20 minutes covered.
Taste and adjust the seasonings if you need to.
Apple Slippers
Ha Ha….got your attention, didn’t I? Well this is the translated version of the French Chaussons aux pommes.
Who doesn’t remember or even love Apple Turnovers, especially when your home is going to have friends and/or family staying over?
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 large Gala apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed overnight in the refrigerator, cut into four equal rectangles
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a frypan, melt the butter and add the apple slices, cooking until softened. Stir often so as not to burn (about 4 minutes). Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of the sugar, the cinnamon and salt over the apples, cooking a further minute. Remove from the heat.
In a bowl beat the egg with 2 tbsp. of water and lightly brush the edges of the pastry. Spread the cooked apples evenly over one half of the long side of the rectangle, but not over the border.
Press to seal the edges lightly and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle each “slipper” with a 1/4 tsp. of the reamaining sugar.
Bake for about 15-18 minutes until golden and serve while still warm.
Apple/Pear Tartin
This is a funny one. We were getting ready to roll out the puff pastry so I could make my custard tarts and realized we had one sheet too many, but it was thawed. We are having company tonight for dinner (orphan neighbors-each has a partner away), and I needed a dessert.
We were looking for a way to use the pastry and realized we had 3 pears and one apple. Light goes on….if we saute the fruit in a sugar syrup with cinnamon and nutmeg (fresh) for about 10 minutes, adding golden raisins as well, we could use it all up.
Roll out the pastry, enough to cover the baking dishes you are using, and hang over the sides. Make a caramel sauce to use later. Voila! Dessert fit for a king. This was soooo easy and my husband is the genius this time. His idea for the puff pastry. Is it really a tartin? Only if you stretch the truth just slightly.
Reheat in the oven to get hot, put the whole dish on a plate, drizzle caramel sauce over the top and add a dollop of whipped cream on top. Works for me…now what kind of a martini shall I use? Later.