Apple Bacon Gruyere Quesadillas

Apple, Bacon and Gruyere Quesadilla:

1 fuji apple, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

2 slices bacon

2/3 cup shredded gruyere cheese

½ cup arugula, roughly chopped

Caramelized onions (recipe follows)

4 tortillas

For the onions:

Slice 2 yellow onions. Heat a 12” pan over medium low and add a knob of butter (~2 tbsp). Add the onions and cook over medium low, stirring occasionally, for 50 minutes until caramelized. Add ¼ cup water to the pan to deglaze and scrape up any frond with a wooden spoon, allowing the water to evaporate. Season with salt and remove from the pan. You’ll have a ton of extra onions, which you can use as a condiment for just about anything.

Quesadillas:

Cook the slices of bacon in a pan over medium heat. Crumble the bacon into little pieces and drain excess grease. Place a tortilla in the pan (still on medium heat), and layer on half of the apple slices, thyme, bacon pieces, cheese, arugula, and some onions. Top with another tortilla and cook for a minute or two until the tortilla on the bottom gets some color on it. Carefully flip and cook for another minute or two. Remove the quesadilla from the pan and slice with a pizza cutter. Repeat with remaining tortillas/ingredients.

Bavarian Apple Tart

The baking theme for this week is healthy, so I took a recipe straight out of the “trimmed-down favorites” section of the Taste of Home Baking cookbook. Each slice is 213 calories with 9 grams of fat, and delicious to boot. I really like the pairing of the apples with the cream cheese – it gives this tart a different feel from the same old apple pies. As you can see, the tips of the top layer of apples got a bit burnt - keep an eye on your tart as it bakes.

Crust:

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter (5 1/3 tablespoons), softened

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In an electric mixer or other bowl, add the sugar and butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in flour, cinnamon and vanilla and mix to incorporate. Place the dough in a 9” tart pan. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over it, and work the dough until it covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Filling:

1 package (8 ounces) Neufchatel or low-fat cream cheese

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

1.5 tablespoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Pour mixture into the pie crust.

Topping:

4 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (about 4 medium; I only needed ~3)

1/3 cup sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Slice the apples and place in a large bowl with sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat. Arrange apples on top of tart. Bake the tart at 400°F for 40 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden brown. Let cool a bit before serving. 

Pork Wellington with White Apple Puree

The stuffing for this ended up at the bottom instead of in between the two halves of tenderloin, hence the low visibility. Served with potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper and thyme, and tossed in duck fat.

Pork wellington recipe adapted from Alton Brown. Apple puree taken from the Eleven Madison Park cookbook.

White Apple Puree:

3 tablespoons butter, plus ¼ cup (half a stick) cold butter

4 cups (1 lb) granny smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

½ stick cinnamon

1 tablespoon sugar

¾ cup dry vermouth

1 tablespoon Mexican crema

1.5 teaspoon salt

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan with vertical sides, over high heat, and add the apples in cinnamon. Stir to coat in butter add the sugar, and continue to cook over high for about 2 minutes, without allowing the apples to brown. Add the vermouth and ½ cup of water. Cover with a parchment lid and cook the apples for another 5 minutes, until tender. Transfer the apples to a blender, and puree. Chill in the fridge, and add in crema and salt to season when ready to serve.

Pork Wellington

Recipe here. I did the stuffing my own way, so here’s that recipe:

1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and small diced

½ large white onion, diced

3 tbsp butter

1 teaspoon dried sage

salt

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

¼ cup dried pomegranate-flavored cranberries (from Iovine Brothers)

Melt the butter over medium heat, add in the apple and onion, season with sage and salt,  and turn the heat to low. Cover with a parchment lid, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until well softened. Remove lid, toss in breadcrumbs, and heat over medium for a minute. Remove from heat and add in the cranberries.