Oven Puffed Pear Pancake (Pannekoeken)

Today I woke up and experienced a full-blown Saturday conundrum. Starving and craving a luxurious brunch, but rolling over seeing the clock strike 11:20am. Fridge supplies running a bit low, but the essentials still intact, rendering a grocery store trip superfluous. Never the one to backdown in the face of a food challenge, “A” exclaimed “PANNEKOEKEN!”

For strangers to the Dutch language or non-native Minnesotans, such an exclamation roughly translates to “YES! OVEN PUFFED PANCAKES!” 

This is an incredibly easy recipe to adapt to whatever you do or don’t have in your kitchen. We’ve been making different variations for years based on what’s in season, where we’re living or what’s in our kitchen. While living in Seattle and at the height of berry season, I loaded up our pancake with the best fruits the Pacific Northwest had to offer: http://www.thegingercook.com/2012/06/oven-puffed-pancake-with-berries.html

Today we had a renegade pear, leftover ginger from brewing kombucha and an orange “A” brought home from work. And you know what? Those seemingly random bits came together to create one of the best oven puffed pancakes yet! Don’t discredit the scraps at the back of your crisper drawer; let them make friends with the other rejects. It’s a culinary creation just waiting to happen! 

As long as you have the basics of eggs, butter, flour and (almond) milk, brunch is obtainable. 

Oven Puffed Pear Pancake

Adapted from Two Tarts

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp goat butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 1 in piece of ginger, finely grated (microplane works best)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pear, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Place the goat butter in a 8-in cast iron skillet, and place it in the oven.
2. Combine the flour, salt, orange zest and ginger in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, almond milk milk, and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients, and whisk until combined and smooth.
3. Wearing an oven mitt, remove the hot skillet from the oven (the butter should be bubbling), and pour in the batter all at once. Quickly arrange the pear slices in a circular pattern 1 ½ inches away from the edge of the pan, and return the skillet to the oven. Bake until the pancake is nicely browned and puffed around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Remove the pancake from the oven (don't forget that oven mitt!). Cut into wedges and serve with a bit of maple syrup or powdered sugar.

Sweet Potato and Rosemary Gratin

I’ve mentioned before that "A" and I signed up for a summer CSA with Equinox Community Farms… but I haven’t mentioned that we signed up for an additional three winter share boxes. While I loved all the summer splendor of the fresh fruits and veggies, I might like the feeling of being inundated with potatoes, onions and carrots a bit more. Not familiar with the feeling? Imagine once every three weeks picking up two boxes that have no less than 10 pounds of potatoes, 10 pounds of sweet potatoes and enough carrots and onions to bring the total weight up to a metric ton.

It might be redundant to say, but that’s a lot of storage vegetables. Unfortunately we live in a “studio plus” (or “one bedroom minus”) apartment that, while lovely and fits our needs perfectly, isn’t known for having a lot of extra storage. So where do all these vegetables settle away for their long winter nap? Our average-sized, run-of-the-mill fridge. With every new box, there is a slight panic to eat everything in sight. Not because of my intense love of potatoes and carbs, which is very real, but because food gets very lost, only resurfacing after a grueling excavation mission.

So “A” and I creatively think of new ways to eat potatoes. Our lives have been enriched by many stews, soups, gnocchi’s, hash browns and breakfast dishes. The breakfast dish of this post was discovered on Spoon Fork Bacon - one of my favorite food blogs in my queue. Not only are their photos stunning, but I feel like almost all of their recipes are realistic. Yes, some of their meat dishes I don’t even make or eat but if I WANTED to, I could! 

This was an easy dish to throw together of a very lazy weekday morning and the leftovers kept in the fridge for well over a week.

Sweet Potato and Rosemary Gratin 

Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/8” rounds
• 1 cup goat milk, mixed with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 1 tablespoon minced rosemary
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for topping
• salt and pepper to taste
• garnish:
• 1/2 teaspoon minced rosemary

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Line a round 8” cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together goat milk and apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes and until milk has started to curdle.
3. Place sweet potatoes, goat milk mixture and 1 clove of minced garlic into a large mixing bowl and toss together. Allow mixture to sit for 30 minutes.
4. Line the bottom of the cake pan with a single layer of potato rounds. Some overlapping is okay.
5. Sprinkle the top with some garlic, rosemary and Pecorino Romano. Season with salt and pepper and continue layering gratin until all ingredients have been used.
6. Tightly cover with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until fork tender. Remove foil and invert onto an oven safe dish. Sprinkle top with Pecorino Romano.
7. Turn oven onto broil and return gratin back to oven. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and top has crisped up.
8. Allow gratin to cool for at least 8 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Black Bean Bowl with Poached Egg

Give me a potato, sweet or of the russet variety, and I'm a happy lady. Maybe it's because I'm Irish. Maybe it's because I love brunch food. Or maybe it's both. Regardless of the origin of my lusting, whenever I see a brunch recipe on the internet that manages to incorporate a potato, it's game over for me. If I see it on a weekday, whose morning are filled with oatmeal & drip coffee, I make sure to stash the recipe away for a few days. Sometimes on Pinterest, but usually by refusing to close its browser tab.

But this bad boy black bean bowl? I considered it made the first time I saw it. If you often find yourself short on time in the morning, the bulk of this recipe can me made the night before. Substitute canned beans for dried, even if it does raise the price point a bit. If you're like me and can't make your own poached egg with a perfect dribble, throw on a sunny-side-up egg instead. Don't like runny yolks? I don't judge - I was the same until a few years back. Try a scrambled version and no one will think less of you. In fact, your friends will probably be begging to brunch at your place again and again.

Another praise I can sing for this dish is about its leftover potential. Cook everything down  a little to thicken it up and throw it in a tortilla to call it "burrito lunch." "A" and I used ours the next morning for brunch to make blintzes. To stretch things out a bit more, add some stock and call it soup. It's a flexible dish that will bend to your needs without complaint. All it wants is to make you happy, as do I.

BLACK BEAN BOWL

Adapted from Spouted Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. dried black beans (rinsed and soaked overnight)
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tsp. chile powder
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced in 1'' cubes
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste
• 4-8 eggs (use 1-2 eggs per person)
• cilantro and hot sauce to finish
• Cheese of your choosing 

Directions:

1. Drain and rinse the beans from soaking. Place them in a large pot and cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beans are cooked through and just tender (one to one and a half hours depending on freshness of beans), avoid overcooking. They should still have a tooth to them. Remove from heat, add a pinch of salt. Let the beans cool for about ten minutes before draining. Add the cumin, cinnamon, garlic, chile powder, hearty pinch of salt and broth. Bring the mixture to a low simmer.
2. Add the sweet potato to the warm beans, give it a stir and cover the pot. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until the sweet potatoes are cooked through. Stir in the tomato paste and olive oil and taste for salt, you'll likely need another pinch or two, and spices. You could add heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes or chipotle. Cover and keep warm until ready.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water with a splash of vinegar to a low boil. Poach the eggs to desired doneness (deliver the eggs to the water in a ramekin, seems to help them stay together well).  For a medium poach, simmer them 2-3 minutes. If you like the yolk more firm, take them 4-5 minutes. Serve each portion with a hearty scoop of the beans and poached egg on top. Finish with hot sauce, cilantro and cheese if using. 

Apricot Maple Cinnamon Rolls

I feel like I could post a picture and present without comment (but I'm a chatterbox so that would be impossible to do). However, I essentially did just that on my Facebook page and boy-oh-boy did the offers start rolling in! I had one friend beg me to come back to Seattle, another started plotting a road trip over to Madison and all the while, "A" is gloating in the glory that is homemade apricot maple cinnamon rolls. Freshly baked on a Sunday morning. All to himself. Even though I did offer up the leftovers, no one seemed willing to make the journey. Oh well, "A's" gain.

While I was ambitious enough to make cinnamon rolls for our weekly Sunday brunch, I was just lazy enough to do the prep work the night before. Make the rolls according the directions but instead of having them do the final rise on the counter, plop them in the fridge overnight for a slow rise. The next morning, bring them to room temperature on the counter before baking.

The thing is, friends, these rolls are shockingly uncomplicated to make. Granted, I do have a KitchenAid stand mixer to do most of the dirty work for me. Even if you don't have a mixer, the dough is so soft and pliable that it would be too difficult to work with by hand.

Apricot Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

Ingredients:

• for the dough:
• 2¼ tsp. (1 pkg) active-dry yeast
• ½ tsp. + ¼ scant cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water, lukewarm (~115° F)
• ½ cup almond milk milk, at room temp.
• 2 TBSP. packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2¾ c. all-purpose flour + more for kneading
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 4 oz. (½ cup) goat butter, softened

for the filling:

• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
• ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1 TBSP. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• pinch ground cloves
• 3 TBS. pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup goat butter butter, melted

for the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ⅛ cup almond milk

Instructions:

Dough:

1. Combine yeast, ½ tsp. of sugar, and water in the bowl of a mixer. Stir and let sit until foamy, 5-10 minutes.
2. Add remaining sugar, almond milk, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. Beat until well combined. Using a dough hook, add flour and salt to bowl and mix at medium speed until dough just begins to come together. Turn mixer to medium-high and knead for ~4 minutes.
3. Add the softened butter and continue to knead for ~6 minutes. The dough will be wet and sticky. Knead in another ⅓-½ cup of flour into the dough. Dough should be just slightly tacky and very soft, but it should not stick to your hands.
4. Place in a large, greased boil. Cover with plastic or clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

Filling:

1. While dough is rising, combine sugar, walnuts, apricots, cinnamon, salt and cloves in a medium bowl. Stir in the maple syrup and set aside.

Dough (again):

1. When dough has doubled in bulk, tip it out of the bowl onto a heavily floured work surface. Gently knead the dough until it is no longer sticky, adding ~3 Tbs of flour as needed for ~2 minutes. At this point, the dough is soft, silky, supple, and totally sexy. Let rest on counter for 5 minutes.
2. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into roughly a 10"x20" rectangle. Position dough so that the long sides are parallel to you (you'll be rolling from the long side). Brush about half of the melted butter over the top of the dough, enough to coat it well.
3. Dump all of the filling onto the buttered dough and spread evenly, leaving a 1" border at one of the short edges of the dough so the roll can be properly sealed. Lightly press the filling into the dough.
4. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch all along the edge to seal. Place dough, seam side down, on a cutting board. Cut into equal slices.
5. Arrange slices, cut side up, in a greased pan (I used a large pie pan). Each roll will have a bit of space on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in a warm place for 1 ½-2 hours, until they've puffed up nice and big and are touching. (NOTE: is you would like to refrigerate overnight, place the covered unbaked rolls into the fridge at this point. Bring to room temperature before baking.) Place oven rack in upper ⅓ of oven and preheat oven to 375° F during last 15 minutes of rise time.
6. Slide into preheated oven and bake for ~30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Rub some goat butter on the rolls just after you've pulled them from the oven.

Glaze:

1. While the rolls are cooling slightly, whisk together the powdered sugar and almond milk until smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls.
2. Share with friends. Make people happy. Smile.

Oven-Puffed Pancake with Berries

I love brunch.

If that's all I wrote and walked away from my computer I think you'd get an idea how this goes down. I'd talk about breakfast potatoes/hash browns, coffee in kitschy cups and tucked away cafes. Maybe I'd mention a light Pacific Northwest sprinkle and lament on the art of a coffee bean. However, I think I'll ramble about berries and the beauty of a cast iron pan.

Very rarely do A and I make the same thing for brunch. Sure, we've had more pancakes before mountain adventures than I can even count, but the ingredients we're never the same. Fine, there has been an egg or two but rarely are they prepared in the same way nor are the veggie mix-ins repeated. So it goes without saying that this oven puffed pancake is a winner based on the fact that it's on a second run. Same ingredients, same preparation, maybe a bit warmer weather. Well, it is Juneuary so that last part may not be true.

As it comes together quickly and can incorporate whatever produce is in season, I highly recommend making this when entertaining guests or impressing your parents when visiting home. If they don't already own a cast iron pan (side note: Mom & Dad - suggestion for the one I got you for Christmas), buy them one now. They raised you, it's the least you can do. Peer pressure!

Saturday morning is only 3 days away so ready the kitchen for the greatest brunch you've ever tasted!

Oven-Puffed Pancake with Berries

Adapted from Two Tarts

Ingredients:

• 3 tbs goat butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries (or combination), fresh or frozen

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Place the goat butter in a 10-in cast iron skillet, and place it in the oven.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, almond milk milk, and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients, and whisk until combined and smooth.
3. Wearing an oven mitt, remove the hot skillet from the oven (the butter should be bubbling), and pour in the batter all at once. Sprinkle the berries evenly over the top, and return the skillet to the oven. Bake until the pancake is nicely browned and puffed around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Remove the pancake from the oven (don't forget that oven mitt!). Cut into wedges and serve with a bit of maple syrup or powdered sugar.

Apple-Blackberry Cake

To quote Titanic: "Hello! Is anyone alive out there?" Well yes, yes I am and my, oh my, is it mighty fine to see you again.

I read once that the worst thing a food blogger can do is "apologize" for not posting frequently enough and that it’s annoying to readers. Internet, I’m going to go against you for one second here and say I’m sorry. I haven’t been completely away from my kitchen, but I’ve definitely been neglecting it. “A” and I still cook a few times a week, but his apartment is a little dark and I always forget my camera anyways. Then the food my girlfriends and I make at Tuesday Girls Night usually is consumed with such fervor that I wouldn’t have a shot at a photo anyways.

Heck, I ate kale chips and Bing cherries for dinner the other night. While it was delicious and fulfilled my cravings, it’s not really a meal I should brag about.

Excuses… excuses… but hey, I’m back! At work, we’ve been having a series of “Iron Chef” bake-offs. The first round was marshmallow. That Sunday I had a 10-hour adventure from Texas back to Seattle and was in no mood to get down in the kitchen. Pass on that round.

Second round? Cinnamon. I ended up making some cinnamon ginger snap cookies and toasted pecan and cinnamon ice cream sandwiches. While I failed to take a photograph, I was victorious and won a spot in the finals.

This past Monday was round 3 and the challenge was berries. I had been flirting with a few recipes but I ultimately decided on apple-blackberry cake. I didn’t want anything that was loaded with sugar or overly complicated. The dough is easy to put together; a simple whisking of the dry ingredients into the wet, fruit is pressed in and it’s good to go in the oven. Simple, delicious and impressive – my kind of recipe.

A few things to note though, I found myself having to put the cake in for a little longer than the recommended baking time but I wasn’t paying attention and ended up over baking it by a minute or two. If anything, next time I make this I would under-bake it slightly as let it firm up more in the pan.

Either way, this is a great dish to bring to a potluck either as a ‘healthy’ dessert or a side dish at a brunch.

Apple-Blackberry Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients:

Granulated sugar, for coating pan

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons goat butter, melted
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup goat milk
• 2 large eggs
• 4 McIntosh apples (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges
• 1 cup (1/2 pint) blackberries

 Simple Topping:

• 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons goat butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with granulated sugar.  I used a 9.5″ springform pan and it worked well, but I wouldn’t recommend using one any larger, as the cake will be thin.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  Whisk together melted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, milk, and eggs in another bowl.  Whisk into flour mixture.  Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
4. Arrange apple wedges over batter, and sprinkle with blackberries.  Gently press fruit into batter.  Combine remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and the cinnamon, and sprinkle over fruit.  Dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.  Bake until top is dark gold, apples are tender, and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.  Let cool.  Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Eyeopener Cocktail

I have never posted a drink recipe on here before, but let's see how it goes.  My blog is officially one-year old now, so I think she can handle it!

This is the drink, along with mimosas for people who don't like pomegranate juice, that was served at Mother's Day brunch.  I first had one of these right after I turned 21 and Zanzibar restaurant was still open in Ann Arbor.  Whenever Kirk, a good friend a past co-worker at the Bivouac, or I needed a sub we would "sponsor a field trip to Zanzibar."  He would always order a mint julep and I an eye opener.  I love the tart taste of pomegranate mixing with the dry champagne while the sweetness of sugar just lightly pierced through.  While we didn't serve the drink over a sugar cube (last minute we realized we didn't have any) the drink is still amazing.  Another thing to note: Zanzibar served this on the rocks while we served it neat. Either is good, it's just a preference thing.

Eyeopener Cocktail

• 3 oz. dry champagne
• 1 oz. 100% pomegranate juice
• 1 sugar cube (optional)
• A few whole ice cubes (Optional)

Place sugar cube and ice at bottom of the desired glass.  Mix pomegranate and champagne together and pour over sugar cube into glass.  Enjoy!

Overnight French Toast

And the reviews are in:

"This is the most sinful thing I've ever had, including desserts" - Dad

"This is too good to be breakfast" - Caroline (sister)

"Eggbake is out, this is now IN for Christmas breakfast" - Grandma

This really was amazing!  I used the No-Knead bread (in the previous post) which was the PREFECT density and texture for the french toast and absorbing the custard.  I only used 5 pieces of bread (for 6 people) and my mom was convinced that wouldn't be enough... as soon as she took a bite I soon proved her wrong.  This is so rich and filling that you don't need to eat much to feel satisfied.  If you don't want to make your own bread (which is perfectly understandable), I recommend that you use a sourdough or a nice hefty artisan bread... don't use your sandwich bread for PB&J's.  The french toast does need to cook for 45 minutes, so if you will be making this for a brunch or another event, you will want to accommodate for that and the pre-heating of the oven.

And while the lighting and colors of the photo isn't so great... see that making bokeh?  Thank you new camera lens; an AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 D, thank you grandma!  It's an amazing lens and I the depth of field I can achieve with it is unbelievable!


Overnight French Toast
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Bread:

• French or Italian bread sliced 1/2" thick, enough to cover the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan

Custard:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 5 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan or shallow 2-quart casserole.
2. To make the glaze: Melt the butter in a saucepan, and stir in the brown sugar and syrup. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cooking until the sugar melts.Pour the glaze into the prepared pan, spreading it to the corners.
3. Lay the slices of bread in the pan, atop the glaze. Use baguettes for smaller servings, a fat loaf of Italian bread for larger servings. 
4. To make the custard, whisk together the cream, half and half, or milk, eggs or egg substitute, the flavor, and the salt. Pour it over the bread in the pan, pressing the bread down into the custard.
5. Cover the pan, and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 24 hours.
6. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Make the topping by stirring together the brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Sprinkle it evenly over the bread.
8. Bake the French toast for 40 to 45 minutes, until it's bubbly and the top is very lightly browned.
9. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve individual slices of bread, turning it over on the plate so the syrupy bottom is on top.

Before putting the french toast in fridge for the night!