Show and Tell

Show and Tell

This is what I made at work yesterday. This is a Safeway's wedding cake design, called Festive Gifts 3-Tier cake. This was for a baby's 1st birthday. My first time to decorate this cake and it took me 3 hours to decorate from start to finish. Customer was happy with the outcome and said the cake looked just like in the book.

Whole-Wheat German Pancake with Pears

Whole-Wheat German Pancake with Pears
Adapted from Whole Foods Market

I love pears and is always looking for recipes with pears. This recipe caught my attention because it is made using whole-wheat flour and doesn't require much sugar. The original recipe states to use an 11-or 12-inch cast-iron or ovenproof skillet, but I only had a 10-inch cast-iron skillet which worked out well. The texture was like a pancake loaded with baked pears goodness. Although I was quite satisfied with the original recipe as written, I prefer the pancake to be a little sweeter, I also like to taste more cinnamon, and could use a hint of vanilla. These adjustments are already included in the following recipe:

2 tablespoons coconut oil or unsalted butter (1.0 ounce)
4 large eggs (7.2 to 7.6 ounces)
1 cup unsweetened carton coconut milk or 2% reduced fat milk (8 ounces)
3 tablespoons organic cane sugar (1.2 ounces)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (3.1 ounces)
2 large Bartlett pears or Bosc pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (1:0.4 to 1:3.6 pounds weighed at purchased; 13.6 to 15.2 ounces after peeled, cored and sliced)
Powdered sugar or maple syrup (Optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven.

Lightly spray a 10-inch cast-iron or ovenproof skillet with nonstick baking spray. Place coconut oil in the skillet and heat in the oven until coconut oil is melted, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the eggs, coconut milk, cane sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth. Add the flour and blend again. Remove skillet from oven, swirl the melted coconut oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. Pour in the batter. Top with pears. Return skillet to the oven and bake until the pancake is puffed and browned and pears are tender, about 21 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into wedges for serving. Can also serve pancake with drizzle of maple syrup.

Yields 6 servings

Zucchini-Tomato Frittata

Zucchini-Tomato Frittata

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Foods magazine. I love this frittata. It's healthy and full of flavor. My coworker saw me eating this for my lunch (two days in a row) and took a picture with her iPhone. She said she is going to put this photo on her facebook page. She also sent it to me so I can include this image on my blog. Thanks B for sharing your photo! I gave B a bite of my frittata and immediately she wanted a copy of this recipe. I made this frittata for dinner the other night along with my Smokey Roasted Potatoes and Farinata (both recipes posted on this site). I have made this frittata numerous times already. Sometimes I substitute Herbes de Provence for the thyme. I am addicted to Herbes de Provence. Either herbs will work great.
2 pounds zucchini, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (about 5 medium-large zucchinis)
1 medium-size onion, finely diced (9.0 ounces)
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped or 2-1/4 teaspoons dried and cumbled
1 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt, separated
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 large eggs, beaten (approximately 1:8.0 to 1:8.2 pounds)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened plain soy milk or reduced fat milk (3.0 ounces)
1-1/4 cups shredded Gruyere cheese or white cheddar cheese (2.5 ounces)
1-1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (about 7 medium-size tomatoes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of
the oven.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring often, until zucchini are nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

In a separate 12-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon
olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and ground black pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about
2 minutes more.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and
1/2 teaspoon salt until well blended. Using a fork, stir in the cheese.

Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables, gently lifting the vegetables to let the egg mixture coat the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low heat and continue to cook, undisturbed, until sides are set , but top is slightly runny, about 10 minutes.

While the frittata is slowly cooking, arrange tomato slices on top, slightly overlapping tomato slices in a circular pattern on top of the egg mixture to cover it entirely, starting from the outer edge of pan and ending in the center of the pan. Sprinkle with a few pinches of crumbled dried thyme just to give some color.

When frittata is finally set on the sides, transfer frittata to preheated oven. Bake frittata until center is firm and not jiggly, about 25 minutes.

Remove frittata from the oven. Change oven temperature to broil. Reposition oven rack to the top rack and broil the the top of the frittata for about 2 to 3 minutes to slightly brown the tomato slices. Let frittata cool for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Yields 6 to 8 servings