Sausage Apple Pie

This is one of my husband's favorite dishes, and has become a favorite of everyone I've shared it with.  Sausage, apples and cheese may seem like a strange combination, but think about it...pork and apples are a pretty common combination as are cheese and apples.  There's a culinary syllogism here, and trust me, it works! 

I like using hot sausage to offset the sweetness of the pie filling with extra sharp cheddar, but feel free to substitute mild sausage or another type of cheese.

This pie reheats beautifully, so it is ideal for make-ahead breakfast, brunch or dinner.  Serve with fruit salad before noon and green salad after noon :D  It also can be frozen in its assembled-unbaked state or after baking.

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Marsala baked eggs



French name: Oeufs en cocotte au vin

The original recipe is from a book about French "homestyle" cooking (as opposed to fancy-schmancy restaurant cooking).  It calls for Madeira wine, which I wasn't able to find the first time I made the recipe.  I used dry Marsala instead and have it that way ever since, as it was delicious!  I also think you could use Champagne for an ultra-luxe version of this dish...just leave out the tomato paste and substitute chicken for beef stock.  Other subsitutes include the original Madeira or another semi-dry red wine.

Shallots figure very prominently here and their particular flavor comes through very nicely, so it's worthwhile to procure some.  They don't taste exactly the same as onions (though I also don't go in for that "halfway between onion and garlic" description either), but if you absolutely cannot find shallots, use a quarter of a medium onion for each shallot.

In terms of make-ahead planning, you could double or triple  the sauce and freeze it ahead in portions that suit your family's appetite.  My husband thinks 2 eggs is one serving, while I think 1 egg is one serving, so I make 5 egg cups for the 4 of us.  Also the more you scale the recipe up, the more of the Marsala you'll use...one 750ml bottle will make this recipe about 3 times, or you can save it to use in dishes like Chicken Marsala or Marsala-glazed carrots.

Last note, you'll need some ceramic or Pyrex baking cups for this.  The classic ones are straight-sided ceramic cups that hold about 6 or 8 oz.  They're easy to fit 4 at a time into an 8x8 pan for the water bath they'll bake in, but in a pinch you can use ceramic coffee cups instead. 


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