Anyway, before Christmas, I did a post about frying apples. When mine were cooled, I put them in the freezer so that I could use them for a chicken and apple cheesebake. So this is how I make it.
First of all cook the chicken. Normally I use roast chicken but this time I fried it. I used five chicken breast fillets cut into cubes. I used my new purple silicon slotted spoon stir it about! This was one of the few things I bought when we were on our wee pre-Christmas holiday.
When the chicken was cooked I put it in an oven proof dish. Although you can't see it in the picture, the dish is also purple!
Toast about 250g of breadcrumbs.
For my cheesebake I made a pint of white sauce - using the all in one method ...
... and then added about 270g of grated mature cheddar and stirred until it was completely melted into the sauce.
While I was cooking I remembered my little embroidery that hangs above the Aga. It's very true.
It takes five or six apples for a cheesebake. Here I topped the cooked chicken with roughly half of the fried apple slices. Keep the best looking slices for the top.
Then I poured the cheese sauce over the chicken and apples.
Next I sprinkled about 90g of grated mature cheddar over the apples ...
... and topped the lot with the breadcrumbs.
I cooked my cheesebake for about thirty minutes in the Aga roasting oven. That's a hot oven; about 250°C or 490°F. The chicken is already cooked so it's just heating everything up and browning the top.
Of course I forgot to take a picture when it was cooked! It tasted delicious though. You could make it with turkey instead of chicken and you could do without adding any cheese (or use less cheese) if you prefer.
Not exactly a recipe but close. Let me know if you try it.
All the best for now. I hope to get back to reading and commenting on your blogs too.
hi gillian...the chicken and apple cheesebake looks delicious...included is everything my family devours...especially the cheese...here, in the usa, available to me is very sharp cheddar...that was lovely of you to included the thankful saying...when i grocery shop i am always quite thankful i am able to feed my family...that was not always the case...there were many lean times...thank you for a great post..may i wish you and your family a most joyous, healthy and prosperous new year...take care...sally
ReplyDeleteHi Sally, thanks for your comment. I'm glad things have improved for you.
DeleteIt sounds good. I bet you could make it with pork as well?
ReplyDeleteI don't see why not. Pork and apple are a good combination.
DeleteI had never thought to put apples and chicken together in a bake. When you make your white sauce, what is the all-in-one method and how do you prevent it from getting lumpy? I always add my ingredients gradually to avoid lumps but it does take a toll on my tired arms. If there were an easier way, I'd love to know! :-)
ReplyDeleteYour embroidery is so cute and pertinent as well. Lovely! Happy New Year, glad to see you back. xx
Hi Jodie. The all-in-one method for making white sauce is very easy and has never (so far) resulted in the sauce getting lumpy. Put all the ingredients in a pot. The milk and butter should be cold. Now just heat and stir. At first it looks like a mess but gradually, as the butter melts and the flour starts to be absorbed into the liquid you can see that it's going to be alright. I usually keep stirring it continually until it starts to thicken. I would think that at the start of the process you could just give it an occasional stir until it is getting close to the point where it is going to thicken; then stir continually to stop it sticking to the pot. Another thing about white sauce. If you are going to eat it straight after it's been made then you need to simmer it for about 5 minutes. If it's going into a dish like this bake, where it will be cooked further, then there is no need to simmer it first; you can transfer it to the dish as soon as it has thickened. I hope this helps. xx
DeleteThis looks great! I will give it a try. I love the embroidery sign. Cute:-)
ReplyDeleteI would love this! Great to hear from you Gillian. Happy New Year! xx
ReplyDeleteHello Gillian,
ReplyDeleteAt first I wish you all the best and health for 2016!!
And Oh.., you make me hungry with this all. You could be cooking very well Gillian.
That looks so delicious.
Nice to read about your visit at the Zoo of Belfast. I have just watched the site of that Zoo. I looks very nice with many animals.
Many greetings,
Marco
I love that little embroidery, Gillian, and the dish looks delicious, proper food.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
I shall forward your recipe to my folks, my Dad loves 'fruit n meat' his favourite in the past being peaches and chicken (something as a child I could not get my head around!) I think he might rather like this :)
ReplyDeleteOooh, yum. That looks delicious, something a bit diffferent.
ReplyDeleteHi Gillian! That looks and sounds delicious! I like this kind of cooking. It could be done with lean pork, too.
ReplyDeleteI love your purple cooking gear!
Interesting...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your visit !
Anna
This looks good Gillian, I sometimes put apples and cheese on a sandwich, something I picked up from my Mum. Hx
ReplyDelete