Pear Cornmeal Cake with Caramel

I made this gluten-free cake for Thanksgiving this year, and I'm still debating if eating it for breakfast the next morning was better than having it for its intended dessert purpose.  Either way, it's great paired with coffee in the morning or bubbly at night.


Upside-Down Pear Cornmeal Cake with Caramel (Gluten Free) 
Based on recipe from Whole Foods

2-3 just ripe pears (I used Bartlett) 

1 cup liquid caramel (bought or homemade) + extra for drizzling

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar 

2 large eggs  

1/2 cup strained cottage cheese or ricotta

1 cup almond flour 

2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract 

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice  

1 cup yellow cornmeal 

1 teaspoon baking powder  

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

 

Preheat oven to 375.  Coat a 9" cake pan with nonstick spray.  Pour caramel into the bottom of the pan and distribute so it evenly covers the bottom of the pan.  Cut pears into thick slices (~1-1.5" thick, to your liking) and arrange in a circle on top of the caramel.  

 

In a large bowl, beat butter until light and creamy. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in cottage cheese (best if you mash it with the back of a spoon first so it's not so chunky) or ricotta, almond flour, vanilla, and orange juice. Mix cornmeal with baking powder and salt, and fold into batter.

 

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the center is set and you feel like it's done.  Carefully flip the cake over onto a platter and serve slices with extra caramel drizzled over the top.  

Holiday Gift Idea | Apple Cider Syrup

Happy December!  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Ours was filled with so much food & wine, family, ankle-deep snow, and coziness by the fire.

There is a shorter time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, so it's time to get in the full swing of the holidays!  And to get in the spirit, I have some homemade gift ideas that are great on a budget.  First up - apple cider syrup! 

I brought a half gallon of minimally processed cider to a boil on the stove then let it simmer down for about 3-4 hours until it got nice and thick.  The half gallon yielded exactly this one small jar.  To make it extra special, I added a drink recipe that uses the syrup as an ingredient.  This makes for the perfect holiday host gift.  Enjoy!

Crispy Banana Granola

I'm about to move to a new Chicago flat.  You know that point in packing where you realize there are far too many bananas in your freezer? I hit that point.  Of course the first thought was to make banana bread for everyone I know.  However, I had already used my flour stash, and want to avoid buying any more bulk items until I am stocking my new kitchen.

The solution? Granola! I added in whatever ingredients were in my pantry, which turned out to make a delicious granola while taking care of dwindling bags of nuts and seeds.  

Though bananas are a main wet ingredient here, the banana flavor is very mild and hardly discernible.  Rather than a strong taste, they impart a subtle sweetness that blends nicely with the olive oil and maple syrup for a well rounded, not too sweet breakfast staple.

Let's get going... 

Put 3 cups of oats in a large mixing bowl.

Add about 1 cup of nuts of your choice, roughly chopped.  I had some sliced almonds, some whole raw almonds, and some pecans on hand.

Add some seeds! About 1/2-1 cup of seeds of your choice here.  I finished up a bag of chia seeds, which didn't quite measure up to 1/2 cup.  It's all good... granola is perfect for finishing random bags of chia seeds.

Add your wet ingredients.  You could mix the wet items together first and then add to the dry, but I was into a one-bowl situation.  I added about 3 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp maple syrup, and 1 tsp vanilla extract.  Eyeball it, it doesn't have to be perfect (plus then you don't have to wash measuring spoons...).

Add some salt to highlight the sweet flavor of the banana (trust me).  I added about 1/2 tsp.

Banana time.  You could mash the banana first then add, but I just tossed it all together.  Since my bananas were previously frozen, they were very soft and easy to mash.  Stir well so that there are no remaining clumps of banana, and so all ingredients are well combined and coated with the liquids.

Simply bake at 400F for 20 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.  When finished baking, be sure to let the granola cool completely before putting it into a container.  This ensures it stays nice and crispy.

I've been enjoying my granola with almond milk and figs every morning this week.  Give it a try- it's absolutely magical. 

Peach Hand Pies

The simplest of all summer dessert recipe - well, except for maybe sliced peaches on ice cream.  But of picnic desserts, this is the winner.  

Yes, yes, I know - it's September!  What are we doing pretending it's still summer?  Well, it's still hot up here in Minnesota (hello, high of 96 today), and I'm still reveling in dee-lish local tomatoes, melons, and peppers from my CSA share.  And oh, the peaches.  Therefore - there will be peach pie, and we will be seasonally ambiguous for just a wee bit longer. 

Merrimint's Simple Peach Hand Pies
*Substitute any fruit that's happening at the moment.

1 pie crust (I use Trader Joe's)
4 peaches
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Dash of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 whisked egg (for wash)

Cut rolled, chilled pie crust dough into 12 rectangles.  Peel & dice peaches.  Mix peaches with flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.  Place in the center of dough rectangles and fold the edges to meet, pinching to seal (careful - they will be delicate).  Chill for about 30 minutes (if you feel like it).  Brush tops with the egg wash.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Eat without utensils outside somewhere. 

Rhubarb Maple Baked Oatmeal

As noted in the Plan-Ahead Salad post, there has been a lot of planning ahead for meals happening lately (except for those dinners that end up being cereal or spoonfuls of nutella... guilty as charged).  Mornings tend to be a rush for the door, leaving breakfast as a last thought.  I couldn't say no to the beautiful rhubarb at the farmers market last weekend, and thought it might perfectly suit a make-ahead breakfast.

This baked oatmeal comes together in a flash, and keeps all week for easy eat-and-go breakfasts.  The rhubarb blueberry layer on the bottom gets syrupy and soft, while the oat layer over top softens and crisps around the edges.  Adding sliced almonds gives the perfect crunch in each bite, and local strawberries top the oats off just right.  I have loved eating this in the morning all week, heated in the microwave and drizzled with a bit of maple syrup.  The only downside to this dish is having to turn on the oven on a hot day... but it more than pays off!

Rhubarb Maple Baked Oatmeal

Adapted from Edible Perspective

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup frozen blueberries (feel free to use fresh!)

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buckwheat flour (or any flour of your choosing)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 3/4 cup oats

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sliced almonds

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sliced strawberries

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350F.  

2.  Mix together rhubarb, blueberries, 2 tbsp buckwheat flour, and brown sugar.  Layer this mixture in the bottom of a pie dish or 9x9 baking dish. 

3.  Combine the dry ingredients: remaining buckwheat flour, oats, 1/2 cup almonds, flax, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Once well combined, pour evenly over rhubarb mixture.

4.  Combine the wet ingredients: almond milk, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla.  Pour over the oat layer evenly, gently moving around (not quite mixing) the layers to ensure the liquid gets to the bottom. You don't want to mix the layers here!

5.  Top with remaining 2 tbsp of almonds and sliced strawberries.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes if serving immediately, or cool completely and refrigerate if using later.

6.  Relish in how amazing your mornings just became.

Plan-Ahead Summer Salad

L and I have been busy.  Crazy busy.  Wishing we had 6 more hours in the day busy.  There has barely been enough time to sleep, let alone plan, prep, and cook a meal.  This weekend I carved out some time to make some meals ahead for the week.  Working a bit ahead helped to make sure a healthy meal was accessible at my fingertips.

With so much gorgeous produce available lately, the market was teaming with inspiration.  I picked up handfuls of spring greens, strawberries, a few root vegetables, asparagus, and peas with hopes of a veg-heavy spring make-ahead meal.  This salad is the perfect early summer dish- fresh, a bit spicy, colorful, and so delicious.  To make sure it lasted through the week, I used two varieties of kale as the base greens.  Kale is a great salad addition- it can hold up to salad dressing, keeping the crunch and not getting soggy  in the fridge for a few days.

Plan-Ahead Summer Salad
(Serves 4, or dinner for one person for 4 dinners!)

Ingredients
1/2 lb waxy Potatoes (such as red potatoes or fingerlings)
1/4 lb Asparagus
2 slices Bacon
1/2 bunch (about 1 cup) Red Kale
1/2 bunch (about 1 cup) Tuscan Kale
1 small handful Sorrel
1/2 cup Shelled Spring Peas
1 small handful Breakfast Radishes
1/4 tablespoons chopped Chives
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper

Directions
1.  Start by roasting the potatoes.  Preheat the oven to 375F.  Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 15 minutes or until crispy.
2.  Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.  Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Sauté asparagus with a bit of water (a tablespoon or two, enough to create some steam) until tender.  Run under cold water or put in an ice bath after cooking.
3.  Cut bacon into strips.  Saute in a dry skillet over high heat until crispy.  Drain on a paper towel, and reserve.
4.  Wash and tear kale and sorrel into bite-sized pieces.  Shell peas, thinly slice radishes, and chop chives.  Combine in a large bowl.  Add potatoes, asparagus, and bacon, mixing to combine.
5.  Make dijon vinaigrette: whisk together dijon, lemon juice, vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Pour olive oil in a steady stream while whisking.  When well combined, pour over vegetable mixture.
6.  Toss well and enjoy! Immediately, or as needed.
7.  Relish in the deliciousness of in season produce :)

Eggplant Rollatini

This simple eggplant dish makes for a great weeknight dinner or lovely appetizer to share with friends.  It's simple too! With a few key reminders, it's foolproof and sure to be amazing.

First, salt and drain the eggplant to get out the bitter water.  Once it has drained for at least 30 minutes, cook the slices in a bit of olive oil in a skillet.

Roll each slice around mozzarella.  Feel free to add in a slice of prosciutto, or maybe some grated parmigiano too! 

Secure with a toothpick, and bake along with tomato sauce.  Serve along with a ceasar salad, or perhaps some simple pasta tossed with olive oil, parmigiano, and black pepper.

Eggplant Rollatini
Ingredients
1 Eggplant, sliced lengthwise
Salt
2 tbsp Olive Oil
4 oz Mozzarella, sliced into thick matchsticks
Your favorite tomato sauce*

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sprinkle eggplant generously with salt, and let drain in a colander for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Rinse eggplant, pat dry, and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until it begins to soften.
3. Roll each eggplant slice around a piece of mozzarella, secure with a toothpick.
4. Coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet or baking dish with tomato sauce.  Layer in eggplant rolls, and cover with more tomato sauce.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbling.

no words. just muffins.

Apple and Oat Muffins
Adapted from La Tartine Gourmande: Recipes for an Inspired Life by Beatrice Peltre

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats, plus more for topping
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 large apple, peeled and grated

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line muffin pan with 10 muffin liners.
2. Beat eggs with sugar until creamy and airy.  Add tahini, melted butter and mix.
3. Whisk together flours, oats, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add to batter, stir to mix just until combined.  Gently stir in apple.
4. Divide into muffin liners, top with a sprinkle of oats, and bake for about 25 minutes until golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

Best served warm with tea, friends, and a small smear of butter.

Negroni, Merrimint Style

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to learn to make a few key cocktails that I can whip up when people come over.  My goal was to learn a few solid before dinner drinks, or aperitivo in Italian.  These drinks tend to be on the bitter side and not very alcoholic to rev the appetite and prepare your taste for the flavors of dinner.

I decided to make a twist on the classic Negroni to serve for my first aperitivo gatherings in my new apartment.  Here's how...

What you need: Gin, Campari, Sweet Vermouth, orange peel, and sparkling wine (optional)

Pour equal parts of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth into a short old fashioned glass.  I used 1 ounce of each, which yielded the perfect sized cocktail for before dinner.  Stir to combine.

Peel a strip of orange rind, twist over the drink to release aromatic oils.  I like to rub the peel around the rim of the glass as well to make the orange flavor really stand out (don't forget to wash your orange well before peeling it though!).  Add ice, and stir until well combined.

If you like, you can top off the drink with a few ounces of prosecco or sparkling wine- I love how this adds nuanced flavors and a bit of sparkle to the drink!  You can also use Aperol instead of Campari to take the bitterness down a notch, and make it a touch more sweet.

This drink would be the perfect way to start a Valentine's Day dinner with your significant other, family, friends, or even by yourself :) Just add a few heart shaped ice cubes to bring the loveliness of this drink over-the-top!

{No-Cream} Creamy, Velvety Root Vegetable Soup

In need of a {creamless} creamy, healthy winter soup recipe? Look no further! This recipe does a great job exchanging cream with vegetables by blending starchy white vegetables to make the soup creamy and luxurious.  I promise you won't miss the cream here!

An extra bonus: it is literally as easy as chop, boil, blend.  Plus, though white foods tend to get a bad reputation, did you know that white vegetables are actually super nutritious, and have cancer fighting properties? Let's dig in...

Creamy Cauliflower and Celery Root Soup

Ingredients
1/2 cup French lentils
2 bay leaves
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 small celery root
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt, Pepper to taste
Optional toppings: olive oil/truffle oil, paprika, chopped hazelnuts

Directions
1.  Boil one pot of salted water.  Once boiling, add lentils and 1 bay leaf.  Simmer until lentils are tender, approximately 30 minutes, and drain.
2.  Heat olive oil in a large pot.  Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.
3.  Add cauliflower and celery root to onion mixture, stirring to combine.  Fill the pot with water until the water barely covers the vegetables.  Season with cumin, salt, and pepper, and add remaining bay leaf.  Simmer until vegetables are tender, approximately 15-20 minutes.
4. Puree vegetable mixture in a blender until smooth.  Careful with the heat here- vent the lid or cover with a towel to ensure you don't have a soup mess on your hands!
5.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  Add lentils, and stir to incorporate.
6.  Serve topped with a drizzle of good olive oil (or truffle oil!), a sprinkle of paprika, and some chopped hazelnuts for crunch.  Enjoy!

Lentil and Farro Salad, 3 Ways

I love leftovers; not having to cook but still getting a homemade meal?  Yes please.  But they can get redundant quickly.  Which is why I love this recipe for Lentil and Farro Salad.  It's a super yummy, filling, and vegetarian dish that I love to make in a large batch and use throughout the week for multiple dinners.  The trick is that you can repurpose the dish into 3 different and quick-to-make meals once you start from the lentil salad you made once: Stuffed Acorn Squash, Crispy Lentil Burgers, and Lentil Soup.  You can also use it as a hearty side dish.

Lentil and Farro Salad
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 yellow onion (or half if it is big), chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup green French lentils (or your preferred variety of lentils), rinsed
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 cup farro
1 bunch spinach

In a medium pot, sautee carrot, celery, onion, and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes.  Add rinsed lentils and stir, then add curry, cumin, and a pinch of salt & pepper. Stir to combine.  Add enough water to cover the lentils by 1 inch, then turn up heat and bring to a simmer.  Let simmer about 15-20 minutes until most of the water has evaporated and the lentils are tender to your liking.

Meanwhile, bring farro and 2 cups water with a large pinch of salt to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, until tender.  Drain and add to the lentil mixture when it is ready.

Add spinach to the lentils and farro.  Mix over medium low heat until the spinach wilts.  Add liquid if necessary, and taste at this point to adjust seasonings if needed.  Adding freshly grated parmesan here is optional.

Dinner #1: Stuffed Acorn Squash

• Cut an acorn squash in half, scoop out the middle & seeds, and rub cut sides with olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Roast cut-side up in 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until you can easily push into it with a fork. 
• Fill each half with lentil salad.  Grate some fresh parmesan or gruyere on top of it and stick it back in the oven for a minute or two until the cheese is melted. 

Dinner #2: Crispy Lentil Burgers

• Mix 1 cup lentil salad with 1 lightly beaten egg, 1 tablespoon-ish finely grated parmesan, and some flour if your batter is too runny. 
• In a frying pan, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  When hot, drop some lentil batter and fry it up until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes per side.  Serve on a bun or with a dollop of sour cream, greek yogurt, ricotta, or a poached egg. 

Dinner #3: Lentil Soup 

(I don't have a picture because we ate it too fast)

• Put your leftover lentil salad from your previous lentil dinners in a medium pot.  Add broth (chicken or vegetable, whatever you have on hand) until lentils are covered and it looks like soup.  Bring to a boil and simmer for up to 10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste; to lighten it up, add some water to taste as well.  I added some fresh chopped parsley to freshen the flavor.  
• Puree half of the soup in a food processor or blender.  Add back to the pot and stir well to combine.