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 | Fontina, Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breast

It's that time of year again. Summer is almost over around here and the holidays are approaching quicker then I'd like to believe. It has been beautiful lately - San Francisco has a nice late Summer - but I can't help but be excited for Autumn to arrive. It's my favorite season! The weather is cool and crisp, I can wear layers and boots every day, and the produce/meals are often rich and special, reminding us of dishes from yesteryear. I prefer savory over sweet, and it is my belief that Fall has the most to offer in terms of savory recipes. Even the pumpkin and apple pies of Autumn have a heartier bite to the sweet berry and peach tarts of Summer (which I love equally). So... with visions of Wine-Braised Shortribs and Rack of Lamb on my mind, I decided I should take a step back into these last few days of Summer and meet somewhere in the middle. I wish I could just enter a soundbite of Rob Lowe on Parks & Recreation (sorry if you don't watch that show) but this chicken - stuffed with prosciutto, 2 cheeses and basil - is LITERALLY packed with flavor and perfect for transitioning into a new season.

FONTINA, GOAT CHEESE & PROSCIUTTO STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST

1/2 cup grated fontina cheese
1/4 cup herb goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped prosciutto
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 large boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons chilled butter, divided
1/3 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup dry Marsala wine

1  |  Combine cheeses, prosciutto, and basil in small bowl. Season stuffing with freshly ground black pepper.

2  |  Using a sharp knife, carefully cut a 3 to 4 inch opening in the center of each chicken breast. Spread stuffing into the center of chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

3  |  Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, turning once, about 8 minutes. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet; place in oven on low temperature to keep warm. Add broth and Marsala to skillet; bring to boil and cook until sauce is reduced to scant 1/4 cup, scraping up browned bits, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in 1 tablespoon butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Place chicken on plates. Add any juices from baking sheet to sauce. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

We enjoyed Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto and Shallots on the side. Yes... there was prosciutto in every bite!

Dish | BBQ Peach Salad with Arugula & Goat Cheese

I was torn between doing a restaurant rating and/or a dish. I went to Starbelly the other night for dinner - one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the city - and they never cease to amaze me! I don't want to say too much about Starbelly as this is not a rating (5 stars hands-down!) but I had a salad with my dinner that I just had to try and duplicate. This is my attempt at recreating their incredible BBQ Peach Salad.

BBQ PEACH SALAD WITH ARUGULA & GOAT CHEESE  |  Recipe inspired by Starbelly

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium ripe peaches, halved, pitted and cut into 8 wedges per peach
2 medium ripe avocados, halved, pitted and cut into cubes or wedges
6 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1  |  Prepare grill to medium-high heat. For the dressing whisk together balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and salt, then add in olive oil until emulsified.

2  |  Place peaches on grill and cook 3-5 minutes per side or until grill marks appear. In the meantime, rinse baby arugula and pat dry with paper towels.

3  |  For salad; place arugula in a large bowl and toss with dressing until fully coated. Add goat cheese crumbles, grilled peaches, and avocado slices. Toss lightly and add freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Dish | Roasted Corn with Manchego & Lime

This incredible salad of sorts comes from the August issue of Bon Appétit. I was so happy to be featured in their What People Are Cooking section the other day so I was delighted when my August issue came in the mail this week. In fact, I was so excited that I brought my copy to lunch with Ryan so we could figure out what to make for dinner. Since then I have made this salad/side dish two times in the last four days! It's a keeper!

ROASTED CORN WITH MANCHEGO & LIME  |  Recipe inspired by Bon Appétit August 2011

3 ears of sweet white corn, unhusked
3 ears of sweet yellow corn, unhusked
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 jalapeno, seeded, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
1 cup finely grated Manchego cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced chives
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

A side-note: The original recipe called for 6 ears of yellow corn but I like the combination of white and yellow.

1  |  Preheat oven to 450°F. Roast unhusked corn on a baking sheet, turning occasionally, until heated through and crisp-tender, roughly 15 minutes. Let cool. Shuck corn and cut kernels from cobs. Discard cobs.

2  |  Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add corn kernels and sauté until heated through and light-golden in spots, 3-5 minutes. Add butter; stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3  |  Transfer corn to a large wide bowl or deep platter; sprinkle jalapeno and crushed red pepper flakes over. Squeeze lime wedges over; sprinkle with cheese, chives, and lime zest.

Dish | Mac & Cheese

I have been meaning to post this for awhile. One of my all time favorite dishes is Mac & Cheese. I grew up eating the classic Kraft Mac & Cheese, but occasionally - mostly holidays - my grandmother would make classic homemade Macaroni & Cheese. Whenever I see recipes in cookbooks, magazines or on websites of this classic American dish, I like to take notes and jot down anything that catches my eye. Over the past few years and through many rounds of experimenting in the kitchen I have finally come to a recipe that I consider all my own.

MAC & CHEESE  |  Recipe inspired by my grandmother.

6 tablespoons butter, divided by 1/2
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound cremini (brown) mushrooms, stems removed
1 red bell pepper, stem removed, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
3 cups 2% milk
2 cups grated smoked gouda cheese
2 cups grated fontina cheese, divided by 1/2
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
12 ounces cavatappi pasta
1 cup breadcrumbs

1  |  Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, sauté until translucent, roughly 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, mushrooms, red pepper, then flour. Stir constantly for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook and whisk occasionally until mixture begins to boil, roughly 5 minutes. Add 2 cups coarsely grated gouda and 1 cup fontina. Stir until cheeses melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in cayenne, nutmeg and cumin. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

2  |  Preheat oven to 350°F. Boil water in large pot over high heat. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Stir macaroni into warm cheese sauce. Place half of macaroni in dish; smooth top. Top with remaining 1 cup fontina cheese. Top with remaining macaroni mixture; spread evenly.

3  |  Melt 3 tablespoons butter. Place breadcrumbs in medium bowl. Pour butter over; toss. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over mac & cheese. Bake mac & cheese until breadcrumbs are golden and edges are bubbling, roughly 30-40 minutes.