Easy Macadamia Holiday Stuffing

1. Cook the wild rice as directed.
2. While the rice cooks, dice the sweet onion and place it in a very large skillet. Sauté the onion in a dash of cooking oil over medium heat until caramelized, adding generous salt and pepper.
3. While the onion cooks, mince the rosemary, marjoram, and sage very finely, and strip the thyme leaves from their stems.
4. Once the onion is caramelized, decrease the heat to medium/low. Add the herbs and dried cranberries to the skillet, then carefully pour the apple cider over the top. Cook the cider down until it has reduced by half, forming a rich, sweet reduction.
5. When the rice is finished cooking, add it to the skillet and toss, allowing the rice to absorb the flavorful cider reduction. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
6. Optional: add a pinch of cayenne pepper to taste. The intention is not to make the stuffing spicy, but rather to provide a very subtle warmth in the background.
7. Chop the macadamias coarsely and add them to the rice.
8. Dice the apple and add it to the rice.
9. Cook the completed stuffing over low heat for another 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the apple is just barely tender and all of the cider has been absorbed.
10. Transfer the stuffing to a serving dish and garnish with fresh cranberries, fuyu persimmon slices, and additional herbs.

NOTE:

This recipe is very make-ahead friendly. You can cook the rice and prepare up through Step 6 several days in advance. Store the rice mixture in a sealed container in the fridge. Before serving, transfer the rice back to a skillet and start at step 7: add the macadamias and apple, cooking for just several minutes to bring the flavors together and soften the apple. If needed, add another splash of apple cider to the rice to re-moisten it. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish as described above.