…so I’ve been throwing a recipe into this site (please click and VOTE for my recipe!) having differently weekly contests as I have time to ‘create,’ and this week I just HAD to throw together something apple-ish! Goodness gracious, this stuff is soooooooo wondermous…. I hope you will take the time to make some. Not only was it really fast and EZ, but the perfect one-skillet supper for a chilly fall eve. And do PLEASE share my blog with friends and invite them to come ‘follow’… that reallllly helps me out in blog land! There’s a convenient ‘share’ button down below too…
Ahhh…. fall, finally! It’s time for comforting foods, and nothing warms us from the inside out on a chilly autumn eve like a hearty skillet supper hot and bubbly from the oven. The mountains of Appalachia in my beautiful North Carolina offer an abundance of apples each year, and farmers’ markets and roadside stand baskets overfloweth… not only good for us, apples are just good eats and their versatility makes them a ‘must have’ in any kitchen! This cassoulet features the traditional white beans in an un-traditional way to thicken the ‘sauce’ and is fast to ‘throw together’ so you can gather your family around the supper table with big taste and little fuss… throw some logs in the fireplace, throw on your fav comfy clothes… and enjoy fall y’all, with a spoon!
Recipe© by: Wendy L. Perry, Inc. www.WendyPerry.com
Premission to publish with credit/link to www.WendysHomeEconomics.com
Maple, Sausage & Apple Harvest Skillet Cassoulet With Cheddar Gingerbread Crumb Topping
PRINT: Maple Sausage & Apple Harvest Skillet Cassoulet
Ingredients: (see down below for product sources used in recipe creation)
| 6 | small baking apples, cored, ¼” slices (with peels) |
| 1-11.3 oz can | apple nectar — divided |
| few dashes cinnamon | |
| 1 lb | bulk maple pork sausage (if link, remove from casing) |
| 1 cup | diced red onion |
| 1 cup | diced celery |
| 1 cup | white raisins |
| ½ tsp | ground fennel seed |
| ½ tsp | poultry seasoning |
| ½ tsp | dried thyme |
| 1-15.5 oz can | white beans (such as navy, northern, etc.) — undrained and pureed in processor until smooth |
| Cheddar Gingerbread Crumb Topping | |
| 1½ cups | favorite biscuit mix |
| 1 | egg |
| 1 cup | grated sharp cheddar cheese |
| ¾ cup | packed dark brown sugar |
| 2 Tbsp | maple syrup |
| ½ tsp | ground ginger |
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Throw sliced apples into 12″ cast iron skillet. 
Pour about half of the nectar over the apples and dust with cinnamon; bring to a boil. 
Cover, reduce heat and simmer/steam until softened, about 5 minutes.
While apples are simmering, put sausage into medium skillet with onion, celery, raisins, ground fennel, poultry seasoning and thyme. Cook on medium-high heat until sausage is done, crumbling sausage as it cooks. 
Drizzle remaining nectar over the sausage mixture and stir in pureed beans; mix well. Pour this “gravy” over the apples. 
Scatter the Cheddar Gingerbread Crumb Topping about the cassoulet.
Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes until bubbly and crumb topping is toasty brown.
CHEDDAR GINGERBREAD CRUMB TOPPING
Combine all ingredients; mix with fingers into crumb consistency.
Scatter onto cassoulet.
Helpful Tips:
A simple side dish such as a salad or pickled beets are all you need for this fall supper… or just a dollop of chutney or cranberry sauce will do ya! If preferred, this recipe can be done in single servings in small crocks.
Products used in recipe development:
MAE Farm Maple Sausage (Franklin County, NC)
Seasonings from Savory Spice Co. (Raleigh, NC)
Midstate Mills Southern Biscuit Mix (Newton, NC)
North Carolina Apples
