The first apples down in Henderson Co. are already coming in. My little guy and I met friends at Grandad's Apples in Edneyville over the weekend for apple fritters, apple oatmeal cookies, fresh apples (I got the Zestar variety; tart, crisp and good for baking) and some quality time with the resident goat and llama.

I love baking with apples, but I wanted to change it up a little bit (i.e., no standard pie, or traditional cinnamon to be found). I cooked down the apples slightly with a little lemon juice then added a "crumble" topping of almond macaroon cookie dough. The pairing was pretty magical. The only way it could have been better was with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream. Alas, we were out, but we muddled through!

Almond Apple Crisp

Gluten and dairy free, serves 6

Ingredients

2 lbs apples (peeled, cored and 1/2 inch dice)
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
8 ounces of almond paste (not marizpan)
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla paste (sub vanilla extract if needed)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium saucepan add apples, lemon juice and brown sugar and cook until apples just begin to soften and break down, approximately 8 minutes. Spread the cooked apples in baking dish and set aside. In a medium bowl, add almond paste and sugar and mix thoroughly (I use my hands). Add the lightly beaten egg white, vanilla paste and sea salt until combined, then mix in the toasted slivered almonds.

Crumble the almond cookie topping evenly over the apples and bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

What dish can't be improved with bacon? I had some nice little organic chicken breasts, tons of basil and thick cut bacon. I figured it was the makings for a delicious weeknight meal. These chicken roll ups would also be delicious with the addition of cheese. If my husband wasn't lactose intolerant, I probably would have done a slice of fresh mozzarella, a smear of cream cheese, or a dollop of herb-y goat cheese in the filling.

Basil Bacon Chicken

serves 4

Ingredients

4 chicken breast, cut/butterflied lengthwise
8 large basil leaves
8 strips of thick cut bacon
2 tablespoons Greek seasoning (salt-free, or adjust salt accordingly)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
olive oil
tooth picks

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Par-cook the bacon in the microwave, by placing the 8 slices in a single layer sandwiched between paper towels. Cook for 1 minute at a time until the bacon is approximately halfway cooked. Mine took 2 minutes.

Lay out chicken breasts on baking sheet. Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper and Greek seasoning. Place the basil leaves on top of the chicken, then place the par-cooked bacon slice on the outside of the breast. Roll the bacon and chicken breast around the basil, and secure the roll with a tooth pick. Continue with the other 7 rolls. Drizzle finished rolls with olive oil and cook for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. Mine were cooked in 25 minutes (poultry should be cooked to 165 F). Remove from oven and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.