Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 large leeks, white part only, well-rinsed and diced ( 4 to 5 oz. each)
1 tablespoon water
1 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaves
finely ground sea salt
7 ounces goat cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
fresh ground black pepper
4 large apples ( about 8 oz. each)
flat leaf parsley ( to garnish)
Directions:
Heat oven to 400 F.
Place 1 tablespoon butter and leeks in heavy pan; cook, shaking pan and stirring, until leeks begin to turn transparent.
Add 1 tablespoon water, stir and cover pan.
Continue cooking until leeks are tender, 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary to prevent leeks from sticking.
When leeks are cooked, transfer them to bowl and blend inches Add goat cheese and cream.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Gently stuff each apple with an equal amount of the goat-cheese-and-leek mixture, pressing it into cavity and mounding on top.
Core the apples and remove strip of peel from circumference of each apple (lemon juice will keeping them from oxidizing and discoloring); place apples in baking dish.
Pour wine around apples, put bay leaf in wine and lightly salt interior of each apple.
Top each apple with 1/4 of the remaining tablespoon of butter.
Bake apples in center of oven until tender and cheese is dark golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.
Transfer to plates, garnish with parsley and serve immediately as appetizer or side dish.
Servings: 4
Time preparation: 20 min.
Time total: 65 min.