Apple Main Dishes Suitable for Guests
Make Chicken and Pork Loin Roast with the Flavor of Apples
Nov 12, 2009
Apples are great on their own but those that love the flavor will love main dishes. Apples go well with many different meats like pork and chicken. They even taste great with some beef dishes. They bring the taste of fall and harvest to dinner but, since apples are available all through the year, you can think of it as introducing fruit to your family for dinner.
The flesh of apples tends to brown when exposed to open air. A soaking in lemon juice will usually stop the browning but when you are cooking with apples this really isn’t much of a problem. The color will change anyway. The best apples to use are cooking apples because they won't turn to mush.
The following recipes use apples with chicken and pork loin. These are great recipes to use when you have guests for dinner and the pork loin recipe can be used for Christmas or New Years.
Chicken and Apples
Ingredients:
- 2-1/4 cups apple juice or apple cider
- 3 medium cooking apples (Granny Smith or Jonathan)
- 3 large leeks, using only the white and light green part, halved lengthwise, taken apart, and washed well
- 6 boneless chicken beast halves, no skin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup sour cream
- fresh chives (optional)
Directions:
- In a large skilled bring the apple juice or cider to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Add the apples and leeks and simmer, stirring occationally, for about 5 minutes or until tender.
- Transfer apples and leaks to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Bring the heat up to high and boil. Boil for about 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to about ½ cup. Set aside.
- Sprinkle rinsed and dried chicken with salt and pepper.
- In a clean skillet place the chicken in a single layer and pour the broth and ¼ of the reserved apple liquid over.
- Cover but let steam escape and cook over medium low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken over after half the time.
- Chicken must be cooked through at this point in time so juices should run clear.
- Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Increase heat to high and boil liquid for about 6 to 10 minutes until it reduces to about 1-1/2 cups.
- Add to the rest of the reserved apple juice or cider.
- Add the butter to the chicken skillet and heat until melted. Whisk the flour in and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and bubbling.
- Whisk in Sour cream. The sauce should be thickened by this point.
- Add the chicken and apples and leeks and heat through making sure to coat each piece of chicken with the sauce.
- Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.
Pork Loin with Applesauce
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
- 1 teaspoon caraway seed
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- 1 – 4 to 5 pound pork loin roast, bone in
- 1-3/4 cup applesauce
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Directions:
- In a small bowl combine the flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, mustard, garlic powder, caraway seed, sugar, pepper, and sage.
- Mix well and rub it all over the roast.
- Place on a rack in a roasting pan with the fat side up and cover letting stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- After 30 minutes place roast in and bake uncovered for 1 hour.
- In a bowl combine applesauce, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and other ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix well.
- Spread over top of the roast and put back into the oven for another hour or until internal temperature is about 160 degrees F.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before carving. This will serve 8 to 10
Serve these two dishes to company and you will surely impress them. Don’t limit cooking main dishes with apples to just guests. You family may like them too, so click here to see some nice family main dishes made with apples.
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