Baked Apples with Savory Pork Stuffing

I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving. The school year is flying by. Being a first year teacher has its moments to be sure, but most of the time I'm just laughing. Here are some sound bites from inside the hallowed walls of middle school:

5th grader #1: Ms. Cassidy, you look pretty today! You never wear eye makeup. Do you have a date?!
5th grader #2: Ms. Cassidy, are you dating an astronaut?
5th grader #3: Oh! Can he take us to space?
entire 5th grade class: TAKE US TO SPACE! TAKE US TO SPACE! TAKE US TO SPACE!

6th grader, after school: Ms. Cassidy, can I ask you a question? If you were dating a guy, would you like, get mad, and stop liking them, if they got in trouble with their parents for doing something stupid and got punished and couldn't go on their date with you? Oh, hold up. Is that Schrödinger on your wall? He invented the electron cloud, you know.

5th grader #1: Ms. Cassidy, I need help. This question doesn't make sense.
5th grader #2: Life doesn't make sense - get used to it!

Me: Sorry, class. I wrote down the wrong assignment on the board. Please erase and copy down this new homework assignment.
5th grader: Get it together, Ms. Cassidy! Did you eat your greens today?

5th grader #1: Ms. Cassidy, Ms. Cassidy! He just made fun of my ethnicity! (points to 5th grader #2)
Me: Explain to me what happened.
5th grader #1: I told him I'm Jamaican and he asked if I be bakin'!
5th grader #2: we're jammin' jammin' jammin' jammin'...

8th grader #1: Ms. Cassidy can I come after school for help today? What time will you be here until?
Me: I'll be here until about 7.
8th grader #2: Ms. Cassidy you need to get a life! You've got nice hair for a white lady - people will be your friend.

Priceless. As is this pumpkin a student gave me <3

Although my kids keep me smiling with their enthusiasm, creativity, and hilarity, I find myself falling into bad cooking habits this autumn, as personal time is eaten away by grading and lesson planning. I'm trying to be better about meal planning on the weekends and eating leftovers throughout the week.

This recipe for baked apples stuffed with pork and breadcrumbs in particular caught my eye because A) it's delicious, B) it's a potential Thanksgiving side dish, and C) it's perfect individual portions for a quick lunch or dinner with some salad (side note: D) I've been grading multiple choice physics tests).

The sweetness and acid from the apples combined with the savory and sumptuous pork, onion, and celery are a feast in one bite. The herbs are what give the stuffing its rich flavor, so make sure not to skimp on those particular ingredients. I can't wait for you to try this one. Enjoy.

Baked Apples with Savory Pork Stuffing
adapted from Canal House Cooking Vol. No. 2

yields 8 - 12 stuffed apples (depending on the apple size)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 pound ground pork
6 to 8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
leaves from 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
sea salt
freshly cracked pepper
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
8 to 12 apples
fresh parsley for topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Cook pork, breaking the meat up with the back of a spoon until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Sir in the herbs and generously season with salt and pepper.  Add the breadcrumbs and toss to combine.

Cut off the top fourth of each apple. Using a small spoon, scoop out the center, removing the core, seeds, and just enough of the flesh to make a nice hollow for the stuffing. Divide the stuffing evenly between the apples, packing it into each hollow. Transfer the stuffed apples to a large baking dish. Dot each apple with a small knob of the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

Bake the apples until the flesh is tender and the stuffing is golden brown, about 1 hour. Serve each apple with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley.
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Homemade Apple Pie: It's been a while.

Hi. It's me, Meghan. It's been a while.

I'm sheepishly peering around the room, like a kid who ate the last cookie in the jar while no one was watching. I feel guilty for not having posted in so long. It's been a while.

Since we last spoke four months ago, I ran a science museum; road tripped with my favorite ally from Tucson to San Francisco and back; drove across the country from Arizona to D.C. with all of my stuff; moved into a condo on the 22nd floor with two wonderful friends surrounded by windows teeming natural light, delicate fall foliage, and a view of the National Cathedral; and began teaching middle school geography, physics, and robotics at a new charter school between the National Portrait Gallery and National Archives. It's been a while.

 

This week, for the first time, I took a moment and baked. I made an apple pie. Though a common classic, apple pie is anything but boring. My cozy apartment came to life with the smells of nutmeg and cloves as the piping hot steam danced in the afternoon glow. It was the most comforting dessert I could make: something so dependable and familiar after so much upheaval and change. I added my own personal touches - apple cider vinegar in the crust and little apple cutouts for the top, but this pie is like coming home again.

          

 

          

 

 

It's been a while. But you'll be seeing more of me. I'm back.

Homemade Apple Pie

yields one 9" apple pie

Ingredients:
Crust:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into pieces
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons ice cold water

Filling:
5 or 6 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into cubes
1/8 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unbleached flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves

Assembly:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon milk or cream
1 teaspoon coarse sanding sugar

Directions:
Crust: Pulse butter and flour in a food processor until it resembles coarse meal. Add the salt, vinegar, and water and pulse until dough begins to form. Remove from processor and divide into two equal parts. Roll each half into a ball, flatten into a disk, and wrap with plastic wrap. Let chill in refrigerator for an hour.

Filling: In a bowl with a wooden spoon, mix apple cubes, orange juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from refrigerator. Lightly flour surface. Roll one disk into an 11" round, then fit it into a 9" glass pie plate. Transfer filling to pastry bottom. Scatter 3 tablespoons of butter over fruit. Roll the remaining disk of dough out on the lightly floured surface into an 11" round, then cut out mini apples. Layer mini apple cutouts on top of filling to make top crust, fold edges of dough under, and crimp edges. Brush crust with 1 tablespoon of milk or cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake until pastry is deep golden (cover edges of crust with foil if browning too quickly), 60–70 minutes. Set pie aside to cool for several hours before serving.
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