Apples Stuffed With Goat Cheese And Leeks

Yield: 4 servings.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 large leeks (4 to 5 ounces each), white part only, well-rinsed and diced
4 large apples (about 8 ounces each), cored
1 cup Sauvignon Blanc or other dry white wine
1 dry bay leaf
Fine sea salt
7 ounces goat cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream or creme fraiche
Freshly ground black pepper
Flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place 1 tablespoon butter and leeks in a large, heavy saucepan; cook, shaking the pan and stirring, until the leeks begin to turn transparent. Add 1 tablespoon water, stir and cover the pan. Continue cooking until the leeks are tender, about 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary to prevent the leeks from sticking to the pan.

Meanwhile, remove a strip of skin from the circumference of each apple (to prevent apples from bursting during baking); place the apples in a baking dish. Pour the wine around the apples, put the bay leaf in the wine and lightly salt the interior of each apple.

When the leeks are cooked, transfer them to a mixing bowl. Add goat cheese and cream; stir until thoroughly mixed. 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 the cavity and mounding it on top. Top each apple with 1/4 of the remaining tablespoon of butter.

Bake apples in the center of the oven until tender and the goat cheese is dark golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven; transfer apple to serving plates, garnish with parsley and serve immediately as an appetizer or a side dish.

PER SERVING: calories; g fat ( percent calories from fat); g saturated fat; mg cholesterol; g protein; g carbohydrate; g sugar; g fiber; mg sodium; mg calcium.

Adapted from "On Rue Tatin," by Susan Herrmann Loomis (Broadway Books, 2001).