Eating In: Pick Your Own Apples
Eating In is back, after a brief hiatus, just in time to take advantage of fall ingredients. Now that it’s cooled off, at least a little, we are finally in the mood for pumpkin, squash, apples, and cinnamon spice. Rather than just going to our local farmers' market to pick up our produce, we decided to go straight to the source -- the orchard.
Within a one-hour drive from the city, you can find some of Virginia’s best farms, vineyards, and orchards. We went with Stribling Orchard in Markham, VA, where you are able to drive into the orchard to pick your own apples. They also have a small store where you can buy spreads, sauces, and baked goods, as well as a section to pick up a pumpkin--like a patch, but not so patchy. Since we are mid-picking season, not all apples were available. We were able to score some sweet Golden Delicious and some tart Yorks. After all your picking is done you have a whole drive home to contemplate what’s for dinner, and maybe munch on an apple or two.
Instead of doing some classic favorites, like Roasted Pork Chops with homemade applesauce, we decided to accent the apples in a different way. Not wanting to lose focus of the apple, we chose a delicate fish to pair with our apple stuffing. Although the two main components of this dish are fish and apples, we must warn you it is far from healthy. Here we stuff the sole with an apple, breadcrumb, and butter mixture and served it up with a side of fingerling potatoes simmered in cream. We figured going into winter (or the upcoming week of summery weather) with a little extra fat couldn’t hurt. You can certainly substitute milk instead of cream to reduce the calories, but it will result in a slightly different texture. We finished everything with tarragon and sunflower seeds and paired it with a mineral-driven Chardonnay from Burgundy. This recipe serves 4 people.
To find the orchard for you, check out Virginia Apples; always call ahead for the latest picking status.
Shopping List:
4 medium sized sole filets (look for wide and flat)
1 lemon
1 bunch fresh Tarragon
¾ pound fingerling potatoes
1 cup cream (light or heavy will work)
Butter
Dijon mustard
¼ cup sunflower seeds
2 golden delicious apples
1 shallot
Panko style bread crumbs
Olive Oil
Recipe:
1. Thinly slice the potatoes on an angle. Place in a medium saucepot with the cream, ¼ cup of water and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place on the stove and bring the cream to a simmer. Lower the heat slightly and slowly simmer the potatoes for approximately 30 minutes or until they are tender. When they are done, add 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard and season again if necessary.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mince 4 sprigs of tarragon. Juice one lemon and mix the juice with 2 cups of water. Peel, core and small dice the apples and place them into the water and lemon juice. Mince the shallot.
3. Heat a sauté pan to a medium heat. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add the shallots. Strain the apples and add to the pan. Add half of your minced tarragon, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir. Mix in 2/3 cups panko breadcrumbs. Once that absorbs all of the liquid (about 2 minutes) remove from the heat and put mixture into a bowl to cool.
4. Lay out your sole filets and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. With the “skin” side up (the side that the skin was on) evenly distribute the apple stuffing onto each filet. Carefully roll each one up, keeping the stuffing inside.
5. Drizzle a baking sheet pan with olive oil. Brush a little olive oil on top of the fish. Place each roll on the baking tray and bake in the oven for approximately 8 minutes.
6. Start the plate by spooning out some potatoes and placing them in the center. Add the fish on top, sprinkle with tarragon and sunflower seeds.