Dish | Stuffed Baked Apples + Autumn Pizzas

I am on a roll with all of this seasonal cooking lately! Ryan and I had a perfect day on Sunday: a trip to the hardware store, sandwiches at Hazel's Kitchen, redecorating our bathroom, and a final stop at the grocery store to pick up ingredients for a few Autumn inspired recipes I have been wanting to try.

BAKED APPLES STUFFED WITH NUTS, HONEY & GINGER

1/3 cup almonds, toasted, chopped
1/3 cup pecans, toasted, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/4 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 1/4 teaspoons ginger zest
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon chilled butter
4 large Fuji apples
1/4 cup apple juice
Vanilla Greek yogurt

1  |  Toast almonds and pecans over medium-high heat for 2-4 minutes; allow to cool before chopping. Combine nuts, brown sugar, honey, orange and ginger zest in small bowl. Mix in whipping cream. Let sit until sugar dissolves and filling thickens, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

2  |  Preheat oven to 350°F. Using small sharp knife and starting at side of apple at center point, cut around each apple to make slit in skin to prevent bursting. Using small end of melon baller, scoop out core and all seeds to within 1/2 inch of bottom. Place apples upright in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon filling into hollow of each apple. Mound remaining filling on top of each apple. Pour apple juice around apples. I added a tablespoon of fresh orange juice too. Butter large sheet of foil. Loosely tent dish with foil, buttered side down.

3  |  Bake apples until barely tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until apples are very tender and sauce is bubbling thickly, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer apples and sauce to bowls. Serve with yogurt.

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Some of you might remember a post I did about pizzas back in May (please refer to that post for directions). Pizza is a fun thing to make at home because it allows you to use whatever ingredients you want to experiment with. For this particular round of Autumn inspired pizzas, I went with a Caramelized Onion, Wild Mushroom & Rosemary Pizza with White Wine Sauce and Mozzarella + a Roasted Butternut Squash & Sage Pizza with Fontina. Sorry I'm not doing a full post about these guys, I just felt like sharing.

Dish | Potato, Red Onion & Rosemary Pizza + Salami, Mushroom, Kalamata & Red Onion Pizza

Pizza! It's so exciting, I know. I wouldn't say San Francisco is necessarily considered a pizza city, but with the amount of incredible grocery stores and farmers markets, it's too easy to make your own. Ryan and I typically order from our local favorite - Patxis Pizza - here in Hayes Valley, but yesterday I decided to take a stroll in the gloomy weather to the Mission District to hit up my favorite market for pizza ingredients. Bi-Rite Market is a San Francisco gem! I only recently started making pizzas at home and it is my favorite one stop shop. They sell freshly made whole wheat and regular pizza dough for $3!

POTATO, RED ONION & ROSEMARY PIZZA

Whole wheat pizza dough
4-6 unpeeled yukon gold potatoes, sliced into very thin rounds
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic gloves, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (preferably old fashion if you can find it)

1  |  Preheat oven to 500°F (temperature varies depending on dough). Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add red onion and potato slices in single layer and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Cool briefly.

2  |  Spread dough on rimmed baking sheet. Scatter onion and potato slices over dough, leaving a small border. Sprinkle with rosemary, garlic, and chili flakes. Sprinkle with cheese to cover.

3  |  Bake pizza until crust is crisp and cheeses melt, about 8 minutes (time varies depending on dough). Using a metal spatula, loosen crust from sheet. Slide onto platter or board and serve.

SALAMI, MUSHROOM, KALAMATA OLIVE & RED ONION PIZZA

Pizza dough (we tried the regular dough for this one)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
6 oz mushrooms (your choice), sliced
6 slices salami (use as much or as little as you like)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (preferably old fashion if you can find it)

1  |  Preheat oven to 500°F (temperature varies depending on dough). Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add red onion and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté another 3 minutes. Cool briefly.

2  |  Spread dough on rimmed baking sheet. Spread tomato sauce over dough, leaving a small border. Place salami slices over sauce. Scatter onion and mushroom slices over salami. Sprinkle with olives and chili flakes. Sprinkle with cheese to cover.

3  |  Bake pizza until crust is crisp and cheeses melt, about 8 minutes (time varies depending on dough). Using a metal spatula, loosen crust from sheet. Slide onto platter or board and serve.