Them Apples

Savory recipes as surprising - and as memorable - as a famous line from a certain 10-year-old movie.

Served with a salad, stuffed apples become a light supper. Or use them as a seasonal side to roast chicken, pork, or even a piece of fish. (Photo by Jim Scherer, styling by Catrine Kielty)

By this time, you have probably baked all manner of apple pies, cakes, crumbles, and crisps. Heck, you may even have fried fritters, simmered sauce, and candy-coated a few. Keep those goodies coming, but don't overlook apples' savory potential. Poulet a la Normande (on these pages, it's Chicken With Apples and Cream) is a French braised-chicken dish from Normandy that exploits not only the apples' sweetness, but also their earthy and complex fruity notes. Baked, stuffed apples and celery root salad with apples are other savory showcases for the versatile fruit.

CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND CREAM
SERVES 4

Serve buttered noodles or roasted potatoes alongside the chicken.

1 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces, or 3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, rinsed and dried
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup Calvados or other apple brandy
1 1/2 cups hard cider
1/2 cup homemade or packaged low-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 medium (about 6 ounces each) tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 12 slices each
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Sprinkle chicken all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, heavy saute or braising pan over medium-high heat. Place chicken pieces in pan, skin side down (do not crowd - brown in two batches, if necessary), and cook without moving until the skin is crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook, without moving, until the other side is golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a large plate. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.

Return pan to medium heat, add the onion, carrots, thyme, and bay leaves, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add brandy and warm it for about 10 seconds, then carefully wave a lit chimney match over the pan until the brandy ignites, shaking the pan as you do so. After about 15 seconds, add the cider (which will extinguish flames). Increase heat to high, bring the liquid to a boil, and continue boiling until reduced by half, about 8 minutes.

Add chicken broth and cooked chicken with accumulated juices, then return the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover the pot, and simmer until the chicken is tender and pulling away from the bone, about 30 minutes (check the white meat, which is faster-cooking, after 15 minutes).

Remove chicken to a platter, cover with foil, and keep warm. Strain the liquid from the pan, and discard the solids.

Return the strained liquid to the pan, adjust the heat to medium-high, add the cream, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Add the apple slices and boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and reduced by about one-third and the apple slices are tender but hold their shape, about 8 minutes. Add parsley, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, return the chicken to the sauce to warm through, and serve.

CHEESY STUFFED APPLES
SERVES 4

Baldwin, Cortland, Ginger Gold, Jonagold, Jonathan, Rome, and Spencer are all good baking apples.

3 tablespoons butter, plus more to grease baking dish
2 large (about 10 ounces each) baking apples
1/2 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 small red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or sage
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
6 ounces corn bread, crumbled (about 1 cup)
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a baking dish just large enough to accommodate apple halves with about 1 inch of space around each.

Cut the apples in half through their equators. Using a melon baller or sharp-edged spoon, scoop away and discard the core and seeds from each half. Continue scooping to create a cavity with an even 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick wall, reserving the collected flesh. Chop enough reserved apple to equal 1/2 cup and set aside.

In a small skillet set over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved chopped apple and the thyme or sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple softens, about 3 minutes. Off-heat, cool mixture briefly, transfer to a medium bowl, and add parsley, corn bread, 3/4 cup of the cheddar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.

Sprinkle the cavity of each apple half with salt and pepper, and pack equal portions of the cornbread mixture into each. Place stuffed apples into the baking dish, dot each with a portion of remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, and sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the remaining grated cheese over each. Pour the broth into pan and bake the apples until tender when pierced with a thin, sharp knife and the cheese on top has browned lightly, about 25 minutes. Serve at once.

CELERY-ROOT APPLE SALAD
SERVES 4

DRESSING

2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Pepper, to taste

SALAD

1 medium (about 6 ounces) tart apple, peeled and cored
1 medium (about 1 1/2 pounds) celery root, peeled
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

In a medium bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard, honey, oil, creme fraiche or sour cream, salt, and pepper until smooth. Set aside.

Using a food processor with the coarse shredding disk or a coarse hand grater, grate the apple and celery root and immediately toss with the prepared dressing. Add the shallot and parsley and stir. Adjust seasonings, cover the bowl, refrigerate until chilled, and serve.

Send comments and suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com.