Baked Guavas Stuffed with Cranberries and Sausage

These were originally meant to be Baked Stuffed Apples, as per Carolyn Hart's fictional character, the handsome, all around fantastic, Max Darling in Death Walked In.  A breakfast surprise he whips up for his wife.  How cool is that?  However I thought, this is Hawaii, and there are guavas at the moment, for which I have been feeling semi-guilty, due to neglect.  Hey they just were not calling my name.  Jam, chutney, compote, too cool for ice cream, been there, done that, boring.  But this, oh boy, oh boy, the potential!  Baked Guavas, stuffed with that sausage and cranberry combo, maple syrup drizzled over the tops.  As Rachel Ray would say, yum-o!

And they were, for sure, trust me, etc.  It was one of those experiments that come out just right the first time.  Tender, juicy, not too sweet, not too tart, flavorful ....deliciously perfect.  I did a riff off  Rachel Ray's recipe, due to Ms. Hart not providing one.  I will provide her version with my changes noted, and you can vary at will.

Since guavas are nicely tart, I skipped the vinegar, as well as the herbs, mustard, oil, salt and pepper.  You might want all those with apples, depending upon the flavor and sweetness of your fruit.

Baked Sausage Stuffed Apples or Guavas

From Rachel Ray - with adaptations noted (things I eliminated are in red)

For 4 servings:
    * 4 large guavas or golden delicious apples, halved crosswise and cored
    * 1 pound chicken or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed - I used Pederson's "all natural" fully cooked Maple Breakfast Sausage Links, minced up.
    * 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a generous handful)
    * 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (I put mine on the tops before baking)
    * 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
    * 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

    * 2 teaspoons honey mustard or Dijon mustard

    * Salt and pepper (taste to see if needed)

    * 1/2 cup cranberries (added, per Carolyn Hart's character, Max Darling in Death Walked In)

   1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, then add the apples, cut sides up.
   2. In a medium bowl, combine the sausage, parsley, maple syrup (and the cranberries)  I skipped the items in red. Stuff each apple half so that the sausage mixture mounds out of the top, then drizzle with EVOO.  Bake the stuffed apples until tender and the sausage is cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes.  Yum-o!

For those of you who have guavas available, just halve crosswise, scoop out the seeds, leaving a nice shell.  Fill as directed.  A bit of crumpled foil under and around will keep them upright.

 I did not use parsley, mustard, oil, salt, pepper or vinegar for mine, due to the tartness and lovely flavor of guavas.  A case of less being more.  Trust me, they were lovely.  I drizzled the tops with 2 teaspoons maple syrup per half, and baked them covered for 15 minutes, then uncovered for another 15 min.  I would allow at least 1 guava per person.

Fabulous little treats.  I served them with some scrambled eggs and toast, for the best breakfast ever.  And, you mystery lovers out there, this is also my recommendation for the Max and Annie Darling "Death on Demand" series by Carolyn Hart.  Another treat.