Fig Clafoutis

Such a simple and tasty dessert – those french are so smart!

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
• 2 c halved fresh figs
• 1 c whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• 1Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter a 10-inch glass pie plate. Arrange the figs cut side up in an even layer in the plate.
• In a large bowl, whisk the milk with the melted butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the flour until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter evenly over the figs and bake for about 40 minutes, until golden and puffed. Let the clafoutis rest for 5 minutes before serving

Advertisement

Strawberry Spoon Cake

I doubled the fruit in this recipe and not mix the sugar with the berries as they were already sweet. This a super simple, tasty cake! This cake serves 8.

• ½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing
• 5 ounces/145 grams frozen and thawed or fresh, hulled strawberries (about 1 cup)
• ⅔ cup/150 grams packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup/130 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving
• Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch (square or round) baking dish with butter. Set aside.
• Using your hands or the back of a fork, mash the berries to release all their juices, and stir in 1/3 cup of the brown sugar.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, milk and salt, then add the flour and baking powder and continue whisking just until the batter is smooth. Transfer the batter (it’s not much) to the greased baking dish, and spread evenly into corners.
• Spoon the strawberries and all their juices over the top of the cake batter. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or just when a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before spooning into bowls. Serve warm with ice cream.

Texas Toast with an Egg in It

I had this recipe for the first time on vacation – I love having garlic bread with eggs for breakfast! Here is my version on it.

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c milk

2 cloves garlic minced

4 pieces of thick sliced bread

Butter

4 eggs

Preheat a girdle over medium high heat and butter generously.

Whisk together milk, 2 eggs and garlic. Cut a hole using a shot glass into the bread. Dip in egg mixture and place on the griddle. Cook until golden on one side, flip and add your egg. Cook until almost done, then flip and cook for 1 minute. Add more butter to the griddle as needed.

Serves 2 – 4.

Individual Yorkshire Pudding

  
There is nothing better that bread cooked in meat fat! 

1 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 c milk
2 eggs, beaten
6 Tbsp of roast drippings

Preheat oven to 450.

Combine all ingredients, except drippings, whisk until combined – do not over mix. Set hatter aside for 30 minutes at room temp.

Place 1 tsp of drippings in the bottom of a 12 muffin tin. Place in oven to melt and warm fat, about 5 minutes. 

Pour batter into muffin tin. Place in oven and reduce heat to 350, bake until golden brown, about 10 – 15 minutes.

Makes 12 Yorkshire puddings.

Battered & Sautéed Squash Blossom

I have a squash blossom problem, there I said it. I MUST get to the farmers market early so I can buy at least two bags. These are lightly battered and sautéed in a little oil – amazing!!!

Ingredients:
20 squash blossoms, stem and stamen removed
1/2 c milk
1/2 c flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c sparkling water
Oil

Whisk together milk, flour, egg and sparkling water until smooth.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

Dip flowers in batter and cook over high heat until crispy, about 2 minutes. Repeat until done.

Serves 1 – 4. Personally I could eat 40 of these 😉

Vanilla French Toast

French toast is one of my favorite breakfast treats for Sunday morning. It comes together quick and the fact that i can cook it all up in one batch on my griddle makes it a win-win!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c half and half
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP sugar
1 loaf challah bread, sliced 1/2 thick

Heat a griddle over medium high heat, brush with ghee or butter.

Beat together eggs, milk, half and half, vanilla and sugar. Pour into a shallow pan, dip bread in letting rest about 30 seconds, then flip over and to the other side.

Cook about 5 minutes per side on griddle until golden brown.

Serves 6.

Chocolate Ice Cream, Philly Style

It’s hot! It’s National Chocolate Ice Cream Day! So what is a gal to do but whip up a batch of chocolate ice cream. This IS David Lebovitz’s recipe from The Perfect Scoop. I love it because it is super quick and does not require the fuss of making a custard – what busy mom can be bothered with that 😉

Ingredients:
2 1/4 heavy cream
6 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
1 c sugar
Pinch of salt
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c milk
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk cream, cocoa, salt and sugar together in large saucepan. Heat whisking frequently until comes to a full, rolling boil. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate, the milk and vanilla. Pour into a blender and blend for a minute until really smooth.

Chill thoroughly in fridge, then freeze in your ice cream maker.

Makes 1 quart.

Chai

Chai is the speedball of the drink world. Soothing warm milk with a caffeine kick I love the spice blend of the recipe, I can’t remember where I found it, but it rocks!

Ingredients:
3 c water
3 c whole milk
2 whole cloves, lightly crushed
1 4-inch cinnamon stick
1 (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced thinly
1 TBSP fennel seeds, lightly crushed
6 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed
5 TBSP sugar
3 TBSP unflavored loose black tea

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serves 4.

Dulce de Leche Bread Pudding

Dulce de leche, come on you know your drooling! Look for it in the ethnic section of you super market, I usually buy a couple of cans since my treks to Safeway are limited. This recipe comes from food and wine magaine, with a few changes from yours truly. If you are not watching your wasteline feel free to use whole milk. This is an amazing treat that will warm you right up on a cold winter night. It would also be great for breakfast.

Ingredients:
Crème anglaise
2 TBSP flour
1 3/4 c 1% milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped
2 large eggs
1/4 c sugar
1 TBSP sugar

Wisk flour & 1/2 c milk in a medium pan until smooth. Whisk in remaining milk, vanilla and pods. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, reduce to low and cook for about 1 minute until thickened

Whisk eggs and sugar together, add a little milk to temper the eggs. Add eggs to milk mixture.

Cook overflow heat, stirring constantly until thick, about 5 minutes.

Bread Pudding
1/2 c dulce de leche, plus more for serving
2 TBSP butter, melted
4 large egg whites,
1 load challah, cut into 1-inch cubes

Preheat the oven to 425° and butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish.

In a large bowl, stir the crème anglaise with the 1/2 cup of dulce de leche and the butter. Whisk in the egg whites. Add the challah, stirring and gently mashing until the cubes are nearly soaked, 5 minutes. Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake for about 12 minutes, until firm and bubbling around the edges.

Heat the broiler. Broil the pudding for 1 to 2 minutes, shifting the dish a few times, until browned all over. Cut the bread pudding into squares, drizzle with dulce de leche and serve.

Serves 10 – 12.

Zuk Bacon Pancakes

This recipe was posted on the gourmet FB page. It sounded great, but a wee bit too heavy for me. So I tweaked it and turned them into healthier Zuk bacon pancakes.

FOR BASIL MAYO
1 c basil
1 c lite mayonnaise
2 TBSP water
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

FOR FRITTERS
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
3 medium zucchini, grated
2 fresh jalapeño, stemmed and minced (including seeds)
2 TBSP finely chopped chives
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 c milk or buttermilk
6 slices crisp-cooked bacon, finely

MAKE BASIL MAYO:
Purée basil with mayonnaise, water, and lemon juice in a blender. Transfer to a small bowl and chill until ready to use.

MAKE FRITTERS:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Stir together zucchini, jalapeño, chives, and a pinch of salt in another bowl. Add egg, milk, and bacon to zucchini mixture and toss to coat zucchini. Stir in flour mixture until incorporated.

Heat a griddle over medium high heat. Cook about 2 minutes per side.

Serve fritters with basil mayo.