Pumpkin pancakes

Fall is in the air as we near October and I picked up some pumpkin to celebrate. There was a lot of puree so I was hoping our baby would love it. She ate it, but it didn't seem to thrill her. There were no reactions to the pumpkin, though, so I was determined to make good use of it on the whole family.

I've also just discovered Pinterest...and although I know I'm late to the game, it has consumed my before-bed Internet browsing and given me a lot of inspiration for some DIY home projects, as well as cooking and baking ideas. There is a flood of fall pins lately and the Food and Drink board is full of pumpkin recipes. I saw pumpkin pancakes and was smitten. Though I wanted to try a lower calorie and lower fat version which preferably didn't have eggs, since we haven't yet tried eggs with our daughter. I found this recipe through SparkPeople and tried it this morning. It was a hit! We ate it up and so did Charlotte. She has been loving feeding herself, putting bite-sized pieces of food in her mouth and chewing them. This is the first "recipe" food she's had and I'm thrilled to say she ate it (and it was something I made!).

Here's the recipe in case you'd like to try this seasonal breakfast:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup soy (or regular cow's) milk
 2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or white if that's what you have on hand)


In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. Wait about 5 mins until it curdles which is "like" buttermilk.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the water, pumpkin, spices and extract with the milk mixture mixture. Add in the other ingredients and mix until it is just combined (don't over-mix). Let rest about 5 mins, which is about the amount of time it will take to warm up your pan or skillet. Then stir the mixture again and you can start ladling out your pancakes. Wait until their bubbly on top (like regular pancakes) and then flip.

These tasted pretty good for vegan pancakes, though next time I think I will add more pumpkin, more spices and some brown sugar for sweetness. Some reviewers on the original post suggested the same and also to add agave nectar, walnuts or banana for different flavours and textures.

The recipe also yields quite a few pancakes so there were enough left over to freeze for baby's (and Daddy's) breakfasts later this week.

Perfect poached eggs

I've been going through some changes in my personal life and with that comes distractions, headaches, and the somewhat fun task of relocating a cat. Through this whole time I have either lost my appetite or been eating complete crap-for-you food to make myself feel better. Slowly though, I'm coming around to old habits. My ideal Saturday morning breakfast has always been the perfect poached egg, slightly runny, with buttered toast for dipping. And that's just what I made myself this morning

To poach an egg you need a shallow pan (ie. not a tall pasta pot) and even a large frying pan works. Fill it with water and put it on to boil. When it boils, turn it down to simmer and add a sprinkle of salt and a couple dashes of vinegar. Some egg poachers out there debate over the vinegar thing - but I say as long as it's not boiled in a vat of the stuff (or enough to make your eggs taste vinegary) why not use the help? The vinegar will help keep the proteins in the egg together while it cooks so you're less likely to chase a runny mess around your pan with a slotted spoon.

Once the water is going, break an egg into a shallow dish or mug. This will help avoid shells, breaking the yolk, and make pouring the egg into the water easier. Then take your spoon and swirl it around the middle of the simmering water until you get a cyclone effect. Then slide your egg into the middle of this little cyclone/tornado. The egg should swirl around and collect itself. Any loose bits can be spooned back onto the egg and re-shaped. Simmer like this until you can see the white is firm around the edges. I love a runny yolk so usually only keep it in there 4 minutes tops.

Carefully remove the egg with a slotted spoon and put on a plate. I have heard the trick of using the heal of a loaf of bread to rest the egg on so it's not soggy but that's up to yourself. Poached eggs are yummy and probably one of the healthiest ways to make an egg. Make some toast and start dipping! Now, don't you feel better?

Monte Cristo Sandwich

So it's Saturday and you're up a little late and craving something a bit more special and substantial than cereal or toast. Do I have the sandwich for you. A Monte Cristo sandwich is a cross between a grilled cheese, ham sandwich and french toast. It's a wonderful combo of some of my favorite things. The Monte Cristo is a variation of the French croque-monsieur.

To make one on a lazy weekend morning what you do is put some cheese (good old-fashioned cheese slices are the way I go) and ham between two pieces of sandwich bread. Then dredge the whole thing in slightly beaten egg. Fry it up in some butter until crispy on both sides. You can serve it with maple syrup, fruit or whipped cream. Enjoy and happy weekend!

Quiche!

I'm so happy with the way the quiche turned out. The crust was a little time consuming but actually pretty easy for a hand-made crust. The filling took no time and it all tasted great. I did some substitutions including: using some local leek I got at the farmer's market, using ham instead of bacon, and plain milk instead of cream. Using the original recipe would result in a richer quiche but my version was a bit healthier and tasted great to me!

Crust from scratch, rolled out and then put into pie dish. The silver thingies are crust protectors I scored for my birthday. Kitchen gadgets rule!
Leeks! You've got to really wash them out well and then sweat them with some onions. Fry up some ham (or bacon) and add that to the egg mixture before baking

The finished product! Quiche Lorraine...yum! And I have enough leeks leftover to try leek and potato soup tomorrow.

Real men DO eat quiche!

I've had a request for quiche and I'm going to make it this weekend come hell or high water. I've had the ingredients and recipe at the ready for over a week now. It needs to get done! I'm using a Rachel Allen recipe for the dish though it's pretty basic and similar to what I've done in previous quiche-making forays. Here's what you (and I) will need:

For the shortcrust pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed
1 pinch salt 1 egg, beaten

For the filling:
1 Tbs olive oil
3/4 cup bacon, cut into 1 cm cubes
1/2 cup onions, chopped 4 eggs (2 whole, 2 yolks)
1 cup cream
1 Tbs chopped parsley
1 Tbs chopped chives
1/4 cup cheddar and/or Gruyère cheese, grated


For the pastry:
Put the flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor and process briefly.

Add half the beaten egg and continue to process, adding a little more egg if needed until mixture just comes together. If making the pastry by hand, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs then, using your hands, add just enough egg to bring it together.

With your hands, flatten out the ball of dough until it is about 2cm thick, then wrap it in cling film (plastic wrap for us Westerners) or place it in a plastic bag and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or, if you are pushed for time, in the freezer for 10–15 minutes, before using.

Preheat the oven to 180C

Line a 19cm high-sided tart tin with the shortcrust pastry and cover the base with baking parchment. Fill the tin with baking beans and bake blind for 10-15 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment for the last five minutes of baking for a golden crust.

For the filling:
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the bacon for 5-6 minutes, or until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper (paper towel). Sweat the onions gently in the same oil for a further ten minutes, or until softened.

Meanwhile, whisk the two whole eggs and two egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl, add the cream, herbs, cheeses and bacon and onions. Mix well and season with salt and black pepper.

Pour the filling into the pastry base and return to the oven to bake for 30–40 minutes, or until the center has set.

Sounds good right? Yum. I'll let you know how it goes!

P.S. for anyone trying to convert British recipes to our Canadian measurements, try the Gourmet Sleuth website.

Pancake how-to

Nothing says weekend like pancakes! Here's how to get great results from your weekend breakfast fixings. There are two steps: recipe and technique. First, you need a great recipe. You can go with a mix from a box and I recommend the ones where you add milk and/or eggs instead of just water because you'll get fluffier pancakes. But if you want to go from scratch, here's one that works great:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening or butter, melted
1/4 cup ground flax and/or berries and/or chocolate chips (optional)


Mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, mix wet ingredients together and then add the dry stuff and mix until just combined. You can cut back on the shortening/butter or substitute some of it with apple sauce. This will make about 4 average sized pancakes so you'll want to double or tripple the recipe if you are cooking for a crowd.

Once the batter is mixed it's best to let it rest so it can thicken a bit. Some people leave their batter in the fridge overnight but I don't think it's necessary. Just make it and then put on your coffee and do other prep for breakfast. The pancake grilling can be done last minute.


Next you grease (butter) a griddle or frying pan. I don't have a griddle so I use my cast iron pan I got for my birthday! The pan has to be pretty hot for the pancakes to work so wait until the butter starts to bubble and when the bubbling subsides, your pan is ready.

Now comes the techniqe part of making pancakes. Using a large spoon, ladle or 1/4 cup measure, pour some batter onto the pan. Now you wait. Wait.....and wait some more. You'll know to turn the pancake when there are bubbles on top and the edges are rounded a little.

Now you flip the pancake with a spatula and cook on the other side for another minute or so. The first one is often a "test" pancake but after that you should be flipping up a storm.

And you have a perfect pancake. Just repeat a whole bunch of times until you have enough pancakes to feed your crowd! Add maple syrup, berries, bananas or whatever you want!