“One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.” – Henry Miller
Our fall getaway landed in Dubuque… not far, but a new perspective. The Fenelon funicular railway in downtown Dubuque has been called “the world’s steepest, shortest scenic railway”… it made me laugh, a banker who lived at the top of the bluff and worked at the bottom supposedly built it in 1888 so he could go home for a nap at lunchtime! It wasn’t far from our historic Hotel Julien, which was a sophisticated rival to Chicago when it was built. We discovered a new artist, Rose Franzen, an amazing portraitist… Otto’s, a fabulous restaurant in Galena.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
I was looking for a fall main course using apples and found this one at allrecipes.com that sounded promising. It wasn’t as good as I was hoping but I think that was because I doubled it… wouldn’t double the liquid next time and would keep it all in the oven-proof skillet rather than transfer to a baking dish during the baking process.
BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS with apples and onions
- 4 (4-ounce) bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 medium apples, sliced
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Season both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a deep over-proof skillet to medium over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs to hot oil and cook until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm.
Add sliced onions to the skillet and saute until they just start to brown, about 3 minutes. Pour in apple cider and chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Stir in thyme and salt. Simmer until onions are soft, 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Add chick back to the skillet and spoon some sauce over the top. Arrange sliced apples around chicken and cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove skillet from the oven and carefully uncover. Transfer chicken from the skillet to a plate and keep warm. Whisk heavy cream and cornstarch together in a small bowl and stir gently in the sauce in the skillet. Place chicken back in the skillet and spoon some of sauce over chicken.
Return skillet to the oven and baked, uncovered, until the chicken is no longer pink at the bone and juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted near bone reads at least 165 degrees F, about 15 minutes more. Serve apples and chicken with sauce.
