Lost Waffles

We woke up this morning to beautiful Spring weather, so we had  to eat breakfast on the balcony.  After a long winter of hibernation, it seemed only right to make something new and fresh.  Scrounging through the fridge, we had a couple eggs, some bacon and a few frozen waffles. This combination led to a kitchen experiment - that's my favorite kind of experiment, you know.  

From the deep dark winter of the freezer emerged Lost Waffles, a play on Lost Bread, a.k.a. French Toast.  These Lost Waffles are soft and pillowy, with the hint of a crispy crust.  With a side of sweet and spicy bacon, eggs done your favorite way, and topped with whipped cream, I invite you to enjoy Lost Waffles, part of this complete breakfast.  

Lost Waffles

4 Frozen Waffles
2 Eggs
1/4 C. Milk (I used almond)
1/2 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Vanilla
Spoonful of Sugar (helps the Lost Waffles go down...)
Butter
Whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place frozen waffles on a baking sheet and bake until extra crispy.  

In a shallow bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar until well combined.  

Add a pad of butter to a medium skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  You want this pan to be HOT when the waffles jump in.  Quickly douse a waffle in the egg mixture, making sure the egg gets into all the nooks and crannies.  Add it to the skillet and let it sizzle away until golden brown and crispy.  (Don't dip the waffles in the egg until just before you put them in the skillet, or they'll become soggy).  Repeat with the remaining waffles.  

To serve, top the waffles with whipped cream and a side of your favorite breakfast accompaniments.  

Kung Pao Bánh Mì

Not too long ago, a thought occurred to me while I was eating cold, leftover Kung Pao Chicken for breakfast.  Yes, breakfast.  (You know you've done it too).  The flavors were still great but it wasn't substantial enough for a meal since the rice had dried out.  So, I spooned it onto a baguette, topped it with some mayo, cilantro and cucumber et voila!  A homemade version of Vietnamese Bánh Mì without all the daunting hassle of the original.  This Kung Pao Bánh Mì has all the flavor of the classic Chinese take out dish, but it's served anew on a crunchy light fresh delectable vessel. 

*Bánh Mì means baguette and was introduced to the Vietnamese culture by the French during its Colonial Period.  

Kung Pao Bánh Mì 

1 Mini baguette, sliced laterally

3/4 C. Leftover Kung Pao Chicken

Mayonnaise

Cilantro, chopped

Cucumber ribbons

Salt & Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350.  

Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on both sides of your baguette. Spoon the Kung Pao Chicken onto the bread.  Pop the open-faced sandwich onto a baking sheet and into the oven.  Allow it to just warm through, about 8 minutes.  Remove from the oven and top with cold cucumber ribbons and fresh cilantro.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to finish.  Place the top of the baguette on the laden bottom slice and enjoy!  

Finnish Pulla Bread (Nisva)

Break some bread with Natural Sugar!  Bake some bread, that is.  Now don’t be afraid – if I can make bread from scratch, so can you.  It has scared me for a long time, but I was craving some home baked bread, so I garnered my courage, dug out my dear friend Kelly’s recipe and instructions and just did it.  Kelly is a great teacher, so if you follow her directions, you’re bound to come up with something delicious! 

I met Kelly in Flagstaff, Arizona, when I tutored her daughter in French.  After our lessons concluded, we became good friends and I was sort of adopted into their family.  Kelly and I would cook and bake together and when her daughter would join us, we would all practice French.  They are some of the best memories I have and I’m incredibly lucky to have learned my baking techniques from such an inspirational woman. 

This is one of Kelly's recipes from her time in Finland.  This warm, comforting bread reminds me of a cold afternoon in Helsinki or Jyväskylä.  It goes perfectly with coffee or even chili, if you can believe it! 

2 ¼ t. yeast (+ ½ t. sugar, depending on the yeast you use)

1 Stick of butter

¾ C. milk

2 Eggs

4-6 C. All purpose flour

½ C. Sugar

½ t. Salt

1 Scant T. Cardamom

Sugar & Slivered almonds for the top

Melt the butter and allow to cool.  Mix the yeast with 4 T. hot water (temperature around 115).  Set aside to “proof.”  It will puff up and be foamy.  (This will take 5-10 minutes).  Mix 2 cups of the flour with the sugar, salt and cardamom.  Scald the milk and after it has cooled slightly, add it to the flour mixture.  Mix well, using a stand or hand mixer.  Add the eggs and beat well.  Add the yeast and combine until incorporated.  Add the butter and mix well. 

Slowly add the additional 2-2 ½ C. of flour, beating until the dough starts to pull away from the edge of the bowl and isn’t sticky.  Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, adding a bit of flour if the dough is too sticky.  When the dough “talks back to you,” put it in a warm place to rise.  A good place is your oven with the oven light on. 

After approximately 2 hours, when the dough has risen, punch it down.  Divide the dough in half.  Form each half into a loaf as follows:

§ Divide into 3 pieces

§ Form each piece into a snake

§ Squeeze the tops of the 3 snakes together

§ Braid the snakes and pinch the bottom together

Put the loaves on parchment paper-lined baking sheets and allow to rise again for 30 minutes. 

Heat the oven to 325.  Brush the loaves with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar and slivered almonds.  Bake for 20-25 minutes turning half way through until they are ever so lightly browned on top. 

 

Gluten-Free Lemon Pound Cake

One of my favorite people came to visit last weekend!  My aunt Sara came in from San Francisco with my uncle Marty and my cousin Grady.  I met Sara when I was 15 – she and Marty invited me to SF for a week and I had an absolute blast!  They helped teach me to drive, took me to the Blue Man Group and Sara even taught me to make pasta from scratch.  She and I have shared recipes and food stories from the beginning and I’ve learned quite a bit from her inside and outside of the kitchen. 

This weekend, Sean and I joined Sara’s family for dinner with my aunt Mary Catherine and uncle Peter at a “fresh” restaurant called True Food.  I’ll be honest – I thought it was going to be a rough dinner because I’d heard you could only order raw food.  But, it ended up being delicious!  Everyone at the table enjoyed their meal.  I had a roasted corn and kale pizza that I’d order again in a heartbeat.  The reason we chose this restaurant is because Sara cannot eat any gluten.  The restaurant offered many options and we had a splendid time. 

The next day, Sean and I met with Sara again and this time we baked together!  Sara brought one of her favorite gluten-free recipes and Mary Catherine was kind enough to offer her kitchen.  It was so nice and relaxing to just hang in the kitchen and chat over food.  And I learned quite a bit about special flour combinations and a gluten-free diet in general. 

We made gluten-free lemon pound cake.  It was great!  The cake was light and soft.  It reminded me of sugar cookies with a hint of lemon.  Not your normal cloyingly sweet cake drenched in frosting, this cake was divine.  This recipe comes from the cookbook, The Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free 75 Recipes for Irresistible Gluten-Free Desserts and Pastries* by Karen Morgan.

Thank you for everything Sara!

1 C. Sorghum flour

½ C. Tapioca flour

½ C. Cornstarch

½ t. baking powder

¼ t. kosher salt

Zest of 1 lemon

1 C. plus 2 T. unsalted butter at room temperature

1 ¼ C. sugar

4 large eggs

2 ½ t. pure vanilla extract

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F).  Butter a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. 

In a medium bowl, combine both flours, the cornstarch, baking powder and salt and stir with a whisk to blend.  Add the lemon zest to the dry ingredients. 

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high speed for 5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time and beat for a full minute after each addition stopping once or twice to beat for a full minute after each addition, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the dry ingredients all at once.  Beat for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla.  Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 60-75 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Check the cake after the first 25 minutes of baking; if it has begun to darken, loosely cover with aluminum foil and resume baking. 

            

Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan and unmold the cake a cutting board.  Cut into slices to serve. 

 Sara, Sean and I ate our pound cake with fresh fruit and peach and cherry sauces.  Yumm!

*http://www.amazon.com/Blackbird-Bakery-Gluten-Free-Irresistible-Desserts/dp/0811873315

You Ought to Know How to Catch a Ban-ahhhhhhh-na!

A while ago, my family had a discussion about our favorite family meals.  Specifically, my mom wanted to know which meals we remembered most fondly that she used to cook.  We pondered the question and my brother spoke up first.  He looked oddly confused for a moment and then responded, “none.”  We all burst out laughing, mom included.  Poor mom.  The truth is, she is not a master chef.   She's too humble to mention it, but she does have several fantastic recipes up her sleeve that I still remember and look forward to eating.  This is just one of them that my brother must have forgotten.

This banana bread is moist and rich and speckled with bursts of warm chocolate.  I've added some orange zest for a bit of freshness.  It can be served for breakfast or dessert.  Thank you, mom, for a memorable and humble family recipe.    

1/4 C. butter

3/4 C. sugar

2 eggs

½ t. vanilla

Zest of ½ an orange

2 C. baking mix

1 1/2 C. mashed ripe bananas (about 4 bananas)

8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375.  In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs, vanilla and zest and beat until thoroughly combined.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well blended.  Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake about 30-35 minutes until the top is browned and a toothpick entered into the center of the bread comes out clean.  My favorite way to eat it is sliced and broiled with butter on top.