Best 5 Apricot Crab Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipes

APRICOT CRAB STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Place squash in a greased 13x9-in. baking pan; drizzle with 1/4 cup apricot nectar. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and white pepper. Bake, covered, until fork-tender, 35-40 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add green onions; cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until tender. Add apricots and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in half-and-half and the remaining apricot nectar, salt and white pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Gently stir in crab; heat through., Arrange squash on a serving dish; spoon crab mixture over top. Sprinkle with additional green onions.

CRANBERRY-APRICOT STUFFED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Put the dried fruit in a small bowl. Pour 1/4 cup boiling water over the fruit and set aside for 10 minutes to soften. Drain, reserve the soaking water. In a mini-processor process the fruit with the nuts, butter, fennel and half the shallot until finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small sealable plastic bag or pastry bag. Snip about a 1/2-inch opening in the corner of the plastic bag. With a small paring knife, make a pocket starting from rounded side of each chop. Set the tip of the bag inside the pocket and press a quarter of the stuffing into the chop. Repeat with the remaining chops and filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pat the chops dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown one side of the chops, until well browned about 5 minutes. Use tongs to hold the chops and sear the edges of the chops. Turn and brown the other sides of the chops, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chops to a baking sheet and bake until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the chops registers 135 degrees F, about 15 minutes. While the chops are in the oven make the sauce. Drain the oil from the saute pan. Off the heat, add the Calvados and the remaining shallots. Return the pan to the heat, taking care since the alcohol may flambe, and cook over high heat until the alcohol is reduced by half and is slightly syrupy. Add the broth and the fruit soaking liquid and boil down until the liquid is reduce by about a third. Add the cream and continue to simmer until it thickens slightly. Whisk in the mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add any juices that have accumulated on the baking sheet to the sauce. Divide the chops among 4 warm plates or a large platter. Pour on the sauce and serve.

PORK RIB ROAST WITH CRANBERRY-APRICOT STUFFING

Steps:

• Warm the cognac and water in a small saucepan, add the cranberries and apricots, and set aside until plump, about 10 minutes. In a small food processor, pulse the fruit and any unabsorbed liquid with the almonds, shallot, butter, fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper, to taste, until the fruit and nuts are coarsely chopped.
• With a boning knife or other long, thin knife, make a cut 3 inches across in the center of one end of the roast. Gently push and work the blade in and straight through the roast to the other end. (If your knife isn¿t long enough, make a cut at either end and work your way to the center, making sure that the cuts meet.) Insert the narrow end of a wooden spoon into the opening to widen it a bit all the way through. Push the stuffing into the loin, working first from 1 end and then the other, filling to the center.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pat the loin dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roast, holding the bones up so that the bottom gets well browned, then turn the roast to brown the meaty side, about 6 minutes total. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the pork meat side down for 30 minutes. Turn the roast over so it sits on the bones and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 155 degrees F, about 1 hour more. Transfer the roast to a carving board, tent loosely with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
• Whisk the creme fraiche or sour cream with the mustard in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slice roast between the bones to make individual chops, arrange them on a platter, and serve, passing the mustard sauce.
• Know-How: Roasting meat on the bone keeps meat moist and improves its flavor. Pan-searing before roasting is the way to get a great burnished crust on lean meats that would otherwise dry out if left to brown solely in the oven.

APRICOT-GINGER ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cut squash lengthwise in half; remove seeds. Cut a thin slice from bottoms to level if desired. Place in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish, cut side up., Mix remaining ingredients; spoon over squash. Bake, covered, 45 minutes. Uncover; bake until tender, 15-20 minutes.

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Cut the squash in half horizontally. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Carefully trim each half so it sits level. With a fork liberally prick the inside of each squash. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of port, rub each with half a tablespoon of butter, and place in a baking pan.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the remaining port in a bowl. Add the prunes, grated lemon and orange rind, and ground ginger, and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Then add the chestnuts and stir. Reserve 6 of the apple quarters. Chop the remaining quarters, and toss with the prunes and chestnuts. Spoon the filling into each squash half. Use a sharp knife to cut the remaining apple quarters into thin slices, and fan them out on top of each squash. Use the remaining butter to dot the sliced apple. Sprinkle each half with brown sugar.
• Add boiling water to the baking pan to the depth of 1 inch. Bake for 1 hour until the squash is soft and the apples are golden.