Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

I think I almost out did myself this morning at breakfast. I love making pancakes. I usually have a base recipe that I start with and make different variations (and its a secret base recipe that I got from my aunt Kathy and I won't divulge it to anyone, sorry). But recently I bought a Pancakes and Waffle cookbook so I've been wanting to try something different for weekend breakfast. Because let's face it, who has time to make a decent breakfast during the week?

This morning I decided to make buttermilk blueberry pancakes, mainly because I had some leftover buttermilk to use and blueberries are just an added touch of deliciousness. These were delicious and I will definitely use this recipe as well for a base and make different variations. They were really light and fluffy and yuuuummy.

Give these a try the next time you want pancakes:

Classic Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups flour

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, separated

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, or canola oil

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small, deep, bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft, glossy peaks form. In another bowl, beat or whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk, and butter. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in the egg whites.

Now you may realize there is not a single blueberry listed in this recipe. Well this is the classic buttermilk recipe, if you wanted to mix it up and try the blueberry variation follow these instructions:

Add 1.5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, 3 tbsp. packed light brown sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon to the batter.

Bon Appetit!

Victoria

Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples

I haven't really cooked much with pork before, so I was excited to see this pork tenderloin recipe in Cooking Light Magazine. Plus this recipe uses apples which helped me eliminate a few more from our bag leftover from the orchard. The combination of the pork and apple together is lovely, plus the little hint of nutmeg and cinnamon on the pork tenderloin gives it a little bit of sweetness. Again, I forgot to take a picture, so this one is compliments of the magazine. For all these shout outs I've been giving them, they should give me a reduced subscription at least :)

Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut crosswise into 12 pieces

cooking spray

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups thinly sliced Braeburn or Gala apples

1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Combine first 5 ingredients; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over pork. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.

2. Melt butter in pan; swirl to coat. Add apple slices, 1/3 cup shallots, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; saute 4 minutes or until apple starts to brown. Add apple cider to pan, and cook for 2 minutes or until apple is crisp-tender. Stir in thyme leaves. Serve apple mixture with the pork.

Nutritional value on this one...234 calories.

Bon Appetit!

Victoria

Cider Glazed Chicken with Browned Butter Pecan Rice

My most recent issue of Cooking Light Magazine had some recipes to utilize apples because it is of course, apple season. This recipe however, only uses apple cider but it is delicious. Using the cider gives the chicken a little bit sweeter taste, which was contrasted by the dijon mustard. It was a flavor explosion in my mouth. I will definitely be making this again. And it paired so well with the pecan rice mixture. This was my first time using boil-in-bag rice, it was so convenient and cooks up perfectly! I think I will be buying this more often. Picture is compliments of Cooking Light Magazine because I forgot to take a picture.

Cider Glazed Chicken with Browned Butter Pecan Rice

1 (3.5 ounce) bag boil-in-bag brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's)

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1 pound chicken breast cutlets (about 4)

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup refrigerated apple cider

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1. Cook rice according to package directions in a small saucepan, drain.

2. While rice cooks, melt 1 teaspoon butter in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan. Add cider and mustard to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until syrupy. Add chicken to pan, turning to coat. Remove from heat; set aside.

3. Melt remaining 5 teaspoons butter in saucepan over medium high heat; cook for 2 minutes or until browned and fragrant. Lower heat to medium; add pecans, and cook for 1 minute or until toasted, stirring frequently. Add rice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss well to coat. Serve rice with chicken and sprinkle with parsley if you so desire.

The best thing about cooking from this magazine, is that the nutritional value is great and the meals are still so delicious. This dish only has 333 calories per serving.

Bon Appetit!

Victoria

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I had a staff meeting last week and it was the first time I was meeting some of the team members, so what better way to win them all over than by baking cupcakes! I was torn between three different choices: roasted banana cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes or snickerdoodle cupcakes. I couldn't decide because they all sounded so good so I had my mom decide for me and she opted for the snickerdoodles.

The cake on this literally does taste like a snickerdoodle cookie, its delightful. And then the frosting on top is so light and airy, its the perfect pairing. But beware, the frosting is a little bit sticky and can make a mess while frosting the cupcakes. And this task needs to be done as soon as the frosting is ready otherwise it will start to set up. I forgot to take a picture of the cupcakes so the picture you're seeing here is from Martha's website, I ended up frosting mine with just a knife instead of piping it because I can't seem to find some of my piping tips. But regardless, I'm sure the cupcake tastes the same no matter how its frosted.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, plus 1/2 tsp for dusting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4. To finish, combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (Ateco No. 809 or Wilton No. 1A), pipe frosting on each cupcake: Hold bag over cupcake with tip just above top, and squeeze to create a dome of frosting, then release pressure and pull up to form a peak. Using a small, fine sieve, dust peaks with cinnamon sugar. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are frosted; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Seven Minute Frosting:

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup water

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

6 large egg whites, room temperature

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating to combine.

3. As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

Just a word of advice, if your boyfriend is in the next room watching a game on TV, it may not be the best time to make this frosting as it is a really obnoxious process. The mixer is beating for the entire 7 minutes, and its kind of loud. Oopsie...

Bon Appetit!

Victoria

Apple Blackberry Pie

I first ventured into pie baking last Christmas. And this wasn't just a little dabble in pie baking, I went from never having made a pie before to making six in one day. I think I was making up for all the lost time, who knows. But one of the pies I had made was an Apple Blackberry pie that I had seen in the Thanksgiving issue of Martha Stewart's magazine. It was amazing, and quite the process which is maybe why I enjoyed making it so much. I decided to make this pie again last week because I still had some apples left over from when we went apple picking a few weekends ago. Although the recipe says blackberries, I used a frozen mix that also had strawberries and blueberries in it. It worked the same and was just as delicious.

Here's the finished process...

I can't tell a lie, and I'm really ashamed that I'm about to admit this...but I used store bought crust. Martha Stewart would be so ashamed. I was extremely pressed for time that night because I made cupcakes for a staff meeting the following day, so I cheated and used Pillsbury store bought crust. But I'll share with you the recipe I made last time because it was divine.

Here's the recipe, literally copied and pasted from Martha's website:

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1. Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.
   
2. Evenly drizzle 1/4 cup water over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together (it should not be wet or sticky). If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Divide dough in half. Place each half on a piece of plastic wrap, and wrap. Press dough into 2 disks using a rolling pin. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight. (Dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw before using.)
   
3. Roll 1 disk of dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim edge flush with rim. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
   
4. Roll remaining disk to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Transfer to a piece of parchment. Cut out 18 leaves, rerolling scraps if needed, using 3 1/2-inch leaf-shaped cutters. Transfer leaves to another piece of parchment; chill if needed. Gently press the dull edge of a paring knife into leaves to create veins. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
   

Filling:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 pounds assorted apples (such as Cortland, Empire, Granny Smith, Jonagold, and Macoun), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 10 ounces (2 1/4 cups) fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

1. Whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add apples and blackberries, and toss to coat. Pour filling into prepared piecrust, and dot with butter.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in lowest position. Meanwhile, brush rim of piecrust with egg wash. Arrange dough leaves over filling, creating a spiral from the edge into the center, overlapping leaves slightly to cover pie but leaving some openings. Lightly brush tops of leaves with egg wash as you work, to help them adhere. Once filling is covered with leaves, lightly brush top of entire pie with egg wash. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Freeze for 30 minutes.
   
3. Place pie on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake pie, rotating sheet halfway through, until juices are bubbling in the center and crust is golden brown, 1 hour and 45 minutes to 1 hour and 55 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. (Pie can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)

The reason I say it was such a process was mainly just because of the leaves. It's a hassle cutting them out and then creating the veins in the leaves by hand. But baking for me is very therapeutic so I loved every minute of it. I was in Williams Sonoma today though and saw some cute little presses to use to cut out dough for the tops of pies. One of which was a leaf that would have been perfect for this pie.

Bon Appetit!

Victoria