Buttered Cabbage and Apple with Seared Serrano Ham

Known in French as an “Embeurrée de choux”, this Buttered Cabbage recipe is a cold-weather staple hailing from central France. The idea here is to turn shredded cabbage utterly soft and melty by cooking it in a generous amount of butter, along with onions garlic and a sprinkle of fragrant Juniper berries.

It’s quick, simple and a tasty side-dish and that can easily be turned into a main with a few adds-ons… like in today’s recipe. 

Cabbage, Apple and Ham – a perfect trio. 

I am very fond of the traditional buttered cabbage, but I have also come up with a few personal twists on it, to make it more substantial and turn it into a quick and tasty main dish. For a hint of sweetness, I like to add some apple to cook with the cabbage. The bitter cabbage and sweet apple blend perfectly together both in taste and texture. And for a hint of saltiness, I often like to serve this recipe alongside seared slices of Serrano ham (or Prosciutto, or even Paris ham, depending on what I have on hand). It’s the perfect mix of earthy, sweet and salty flavors. 

This is a tremendous recipe for anybody who isn’t  usually a fan of cabbage, or who’s looking for a different way to cook it. This is a great dish that’s a nice change from earthy Winter soups and stews that can sometimes be heavy on the stomach. This cabbage recipe is lighter, yet very cozy and satisfying. 

How to make this Buttered Cabbage and Apple with Seared Serrano Ham 

The recipe starts by blanching the cabbage. This will cut the bitterness of this leafy vegetable and also make it easier to cut into shreds later on. To do so, big wedges of cabbage are placed in a large pot of boiling water for a few minutes, drained and passed through cold water. 

When cool enough to handle, the cabbage gets cut into shreds. You can do it by hand or using a food processor if you wish. 

At this point, you can also slice the onion, slice the garlic cloves and cut an apple into tiny sticks. I like to keep the skin of the apple on for texture, but you can remove it if you wish. 

In a large frying pan with a generous amount of butter, the onion and garlic are then lightly caramelized. The cabbage is added later on, with extra butter, to further tenderize. Lastly, the apple sticks are added to the pan – as they take the least amount of time to cook and soften. 

For serving, slices of seared Serrano ham are placed on top of this bed of buttered cabbage with apples. 

My Cooking notes: 

• Savoy Cabbage is best to use for this recipe. It is tender and sweet, and the crinkly leaves will absorb the butter nicely, to turn utterly tender. As a substitute, green cabbage or red cabbage will work too, although be aware that the red color will leach into the other ingredients (onions, apples). If you are interested in learning more about cabbages, I recommend this page. 
• Any variety of apple will work in this recipe. My favorites are Cortland and Honeycrisp. Granny Smith are nice as well, and will add more acidity/tang. 
• Serrano Ham can be substituted for Prosciutto, Paris Ham, or even bacon strips (which in this case, will need to cooked longer: about 7-8 minutes on each side). 

I hope you’ll love this Buttered Cabbage and Apple with Seared Serrano Ham as much as I do! This is a simple and tasty dish that comes together in less than an hour. It is delicious with some grainy mustard on the side. This recipe is ideal for 2 people but you can easily double the quantities to make more.

You may also like:

• Pork Chops in Grainy Mustard and Mushroom Sauce
• Braised Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Onion
• Poitou-Style Braised Beets with Kale

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @pardonyourfrench on Instagram and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench

Buttered Cabbage and Apple with Seared Serrano

Print Recipe

Serves: 2 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 5 voted )

Ingredients

½ medium Savoy Cabbage, cut into wedges
6 tbsp butter (85g) (salted or unsalted), divided
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
7-8 Juniper berries, whole
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 large apple (Cortland, Honeycrisp or Granny Smith), cut into tiny sticks
3 tbsp (45ml) Apple Cider Vinegar
4 slices Serrano Ham (about 70g)

Instructions

Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.

Step 1 - Bring a large pot of water with 1 tsp of salt to a boil. Add the cabbage wedges and boil for 5 minutes. Transfer the cabbage to a bowl of ice cold water. Set aside to cool.

Step 2 - In a large pan, over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the onion slices, sliced garlic, Juniper berries, black pepper and salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is slightly golden and caramelized.

Step 3 - Cut the cabbage into shreds, and add it to the pan along with 2 extra tablespoons of butter. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is soft (but still with a slight crunch).

Step 4 - Add the apple sticks to the pan, along with 3 tablespoons (45ml) of apple cider vinegar. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apple is soft and melty, and the liquid has evaporated. 

Step 5 - In a separate pan, sear the slices of Serrano ham over medium-heat, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Serve immediately by placing two slices of Serrano ham on top of a bed of cabbage and apple.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  Bon Appetit!