German Apple Pancake

This is a perfect dish for brunch and is very impressive to guests. It is easy to make, and the last bit is in the oven, which means that you don't have to stand over the stove. You have to make this in an oven proof pan - meaning one with a metal, not plastic, handle. If you don't have one, you could cook the apples first, as directed in step 3, and then put them into a preheated ovenproof pan (such as pyrex) and continue the recipe as directed. It tastes great with apples, but you could also try with nectarines or peaches. Pears will work if they are a hard variety, and bananas would be great too, but the texture would be different. Try it with other fruits and let me know in the comments! This "pancake" has a heavy egg content and does have an egg flavor, so it's probably not for you if you don't like the taste of eggs.

4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter (or oil)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large apple, cored and sliced
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1. In a large bowl, blend eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Mix in milk while stirring. Add vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of oil/melted butter. Let mixture stand 30 minutes or overnight.


2. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celcius (425 Fahrenheit).


3. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 10" oven-proof skillet and brush the butter up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar and the cinnamon over the butter. Line the pan with apple slices. Sprinkle more sugar over the apples (1/4 to 1/2 cup). Cook over medium heat until the mixture bubbles.


4. Gently pour batter over apples.


5. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 190 C (375 F) and cook 10 more minutes.


6. Keep your eye on the pancake after 15 minutes - it should be puffed up but not burning on top. If it starts to brown significantly, it is done and may not need the extra 10 minutes. Fan assisted ovens will require less time.

Scrambled egg nests

I saw this recipe in the newspaper and thought it looked worth trying :) I'd just do plain scrambled or scrambled and cheese eggs, personally - maybe add some pieces of smoked salmon and capers on top? Lots of variations possible, I suppose. The cool idea is the shredded potato cups :)


In these easy and charming bites, shredded potatoes are baked in a muffin tin to form crunchy cups, which are then filled with scrambled eggs to make a festive finger food.
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cup shredded potatoes
1/2 cup vegetable oil or butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/3 cup finely diced bell peppers
1/3 cup diced cooked breakfast sausage
Shredded cheddar
Chopped parsley for garnish

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, 1/4 cup of the oil or butter, salt and pepper. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the potato mixture into each cup of a 12-serving muffin tin. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of each cup, then bake until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the nests from the oven and allow them to cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and milk. Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil or butter to the pan and heat. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and saute until both are soft and the onions are slightly golden, about two to three minutes. Add the sausage and cook until heated through. Add the egg mixture and stir until the eggs have set and small curds have formed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the potato nests from the muffin tin and place them on an ovenproof platter or cookie sheet. Fill each cup with some of the egg mixture, top with a sprinkling of the cheese, and place the nests in a 375-degree oven until the cheese is melted, about two to three minutes. If you like, garnish each nest with a little parsley.

Corn Bread Muffins

I'm originally from the south, and I love cornbread. Here's the best recipe I've found. I only have metal muffin tins and the muffins usually get stuck, but a friend has the silicone kind and I am definitely going to have to get some of those! These are really easy to whip up around dinnertime :)

1.5 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal (I used polenta - white or yellow, doesn't matter)
2/3 cup white sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (I used oil)
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400F (200C - or 180 with fan). Spray muffin tins with vegetable oil spray (I think this will make around 12 muffins).
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix oil, egg, milk, and vanilla extract.
Make a well in the center of dry igredients and pour in the mixed liquid. Stir lightly, just until blended. Don't overmix, or the muffins won't be tender.
Spoon the batter into muffin tins.
Bake in preheated oven 15-18 minutes, until the muffins have risen and are golden brown and springy to the touch.
Pop out of the tins and let cool a bit before serving.
Guten appetit! :)

HUMMUS

Everyone loves this recipe. You don't have to bother with the parsley oil, but it looks nice and tastes special.


4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
two 1-pound 3-ounce cans chick-peas, drained and rinsed (about 2 cups)
1 cup well stirred tahini
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted lightly

In a food processor or with a hand blender, purée garlic with lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the oil, and 1/2 cup water, and the salt. Slowly add the chickpeas and 2 tablespoons of pine nuts, scraping down the sides, until the hummus is smooth and add salt to taste. Add water, if necessary, to thin the hummus to the desired consistency and transfer the hummus to a bowl. In the food processor, cleaned, purée the remaining 1/4 cup oil with the parsley until the oil is bright green and the parsley is minced transfer the parsley oil to a small jar. The hummus and the parsley oil may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Divide the hummus between shallow serving dishes and smooth the tops. Drizzle the hummus with the parsley oil and sprinkle it with the pine nuts. Serve the hummus with pita and carrots.

Zucchini Bread

2 cups shredded raw zucchini
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
Beat eggs, sugar, and oil together. Add flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and walnuts. Mix together by hand. Add drained zucchini. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 350° F.

Soft Prezels & Bagels

2 tablespoons warm water, plus 1 1/3 cups warm water
1 package dry yeast
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups flour
1/2 cup baking soda
Kosher salt
Mustard, as an accompaniment
In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 tablespoons warm (110-115 degrees F) water with the yeast to dissolve it. Then stir in the remaining warm water and brown sugar. Place bowl on a mixer and using a dough hook, gradually add the flour and continue mixing until it forms a ball. You may not need to add all the flour – play it by ear. Turn it out onto a work surface and knead the dough to make it smooth. Use enough flour on your work surface so the dough is not sticky.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Butter 2 sheet pans. Bring 2 quarts of water and the baking soda to boil in a large saucepan. Cut dough up into golf ball size pieces. Then roll them into 1/2-inch thick worms. Form a U then cross the ends, twisting at the middle. Fold the ends back down to meet the U (which is now an O) and press to secure the dough. (basically: make a pretzel shape). Drop it into the boiling water for 30 seconds then fish it out and place it on the greased sheet pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt, sesame seeds, or anything else you like. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.
I served the non-salty ones with honey butter. YUMMY! You can freeze or refrigerate some of the dough for later use :)
Yield: 20 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Medium

To make bagels with the same dough:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Bring water with some salt (no baking soda) to a boil while you’re working with the dough. Form balls of dough a little smaller than the size of your fist and press down to make a shape like a bagel without a hole. Poke your finger into the middle of the dough, then spin it around your finger to form a hole in the bagel. The hole will shrink a little. Let bagels rise for about 5 minutes. Then put them into the boiling water and boil for a few minutes on each side. Remove bagels and place them on greased baking sheets. Add toppings while the bagels are still wet from having been boiled. Put bagels into preheated oven for 20- 30 minutes, or until golden. Enjoy them while they are hot or store in plastic bags (once cool) for up to 5 days.

Shirley’s B&B Whole Wheat Bread (quickbread – nonyeast)

My parents and I stayed at Shirley’s Bed & Breakfast on Vancouver Island years ago. I liked the bread that Miss Shirley served so much that I asked for the recipe. I never made it, because it needs buttermilk, bran, and whole wheat flour, things I don’t normally have. I recently read that one can often substitute yogurt (which I always have on hand) for buttermilk in recipes, so I decided to give it a try, and it worked. I hope you try this recipe, because even though it sounds like a lot of work, it’s not, and the result is a fantastic breakfast bread. It’s yummy (albeit a little less healthy) warmed up in the microwave with some butter slathered on it. Enjoy!

Makes: 2 loaves
Preparation time: 1.5 hours, start to finish

Ingredients:
5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bran (I prefer oat bran, wheat bran also ok)
1 cup Sunny Boy or Red River cereal
(if you cannot find this cereal (which is usually with health foods or in the oatmeal section) you can substitute with 1/3 cup cracked wheat, 1/3 cup cracked rye, and 1/3 cup flax seeds. You can often find this combination in healthy grain hot cereals)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
¼ cup demerara or brown sugar
1 liter plain nonfat yogurt (about equal to 4.5 cups)
¾ cup milk, any type
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix all dry ingredients.
Stir in yogurt, milk, olive oil, and honey. Stir until moist, but do not over-stir. It will seem a little dry and tough – not stretchy like yeast bread, but not moist like banana bread.
Put the dough into two greased bread pans (regular loaf size).
Reduce oven to 325 F and bake one hour.
Then, turn off oven and keep oven door closed, and let bread sit in oven 15 more minutes.
Remove from oven and allow bread to sit on counter a few minutes before popping it out of the pans. Allow them to breathe upside-down for an hour or so before putting them in plastic bags, in the fridge, or slice them and put them in Tupperware.

Pogaça (savory pastries)

Dough:
Filling:
½ cup butter
1 lb. Feta cheese
½ cup olive oil
2 eggs
½ cup warm water
4 tbsp fresh or dried mint
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp oregano (to taste


1 egg, lightly beaten
Sesame seeds, as garnish

Cooking Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make the filling: crumble the cheese in a bowl or mash it with a fork. Add the eggs and mint and mix well. Season with pepper, if desired.

Make the dough: melt the butter but don’t let it bubble. Remove it from the heat and add the oil and warm water. Gradually add the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon. The dough will be very soft and should not stick to the sides of the bowl.

Take a piece of dough and roll it into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Make balls of dough until you have used all the dough. To fill the dough, pat a ball into a thin round about 3” in diameter. Place a teaspoonful of filling in the center of each round and fold the round in half, forming a half-moon. Using the tines of a fork, seal the edges securely.
To bake, place the pastries on ungreased baking sheets and brush them with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.