Puff Pancake with Pear, Pomegranate & Dark Chocolate Drizzle

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breakfast, brunch, easy meal, food, foodie, fruit, gourmet, gourmet pancake, pancake, pears, pomegranate, pomegranate seeds, postaday2011, puff pancake, quick meal, recipe

Yesterday we had our first snow day of the year… Yay, I got to make and have brunch on a weekday!

Pears are one of my favorite fruits, so are pomegranates… so it’s about time I paired (no pun intended) them. Since last week I made flat pancakes (AKA: crêpes), this week it was time to make big puffy ones. That’s right, not just fluffy, but also puffy! I baked my puff pancake in a glass pie dish, since my cast-iron skillet is somewhere in storage (I’m wary about using my stainless steel skillet in the oven…).

Puff Pancake with Pear, Pomegranate & Dark Chocolate Drizzle

Puff Pancake Ingredients:
1/4 c. butter softened, 1/2 c. flour, 1/2 c. milk, 1/4 c. light brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. almond extract, 1/8 tsp. fresh ground sea salt

Puff Pancake Directions:
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Mix together flour, salt and nutmeg and set aside. Mix together milk, eggs, sugar and extract. Slowly mix flour mixture to milk mixture. Let dough set. In oven, melt butter in pie dish. With pot holders remove from oven and coat dish with melted butter. Pour batter into hot pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. Return dish to oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add toppings. Slice to serve.

Toppings:
Top with your favorite seasonal fruits, whipped cream, dark chocolate drizzle, or a dusting of confectioner’s sugar.
*I chose diced red and Anjou pears, pomegranate seeds, dark chocolate drizzle and a bit of fresh whipped cream.

Plain Puff Pancake

I decided serve  my puff pancake with crispy oven-baked turkey bacon. The smokey salty flavor balances well with the sweetness of the puff pancake. The crispy and chewy texture of the bacon also plays well against the soft and puffy pancake.

*If you use vanilla extract instead of almond extract, add a pinch or nutmeg.

What did you do yesterday?

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Baked Pear & Butternut Squash

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butternut, butternut squash, casserole, dinner, food, foodie, lunch, pears, postaday2011, recipe, side dish, side dishes, sides, squash, vegetable, vegetarian

This Baked Pear & Butternut Squash recipe is a variation of my sweet potato apple casserole. As we await our impending winter storm, this delicious buttery version was perfect for this cold night.

Baked Pear & Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
4 pears (I chose 2 red, 2 Anjou), 1 butternut squash, pecans, 1/2 c. light brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, butter

Directions:
Preheat oven 350°F. Grease casserole dish and set aside. Peel and cube butternut squash. Core and cube pears, leaving skin intact. Sprinkle pears and butternut with sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon, toss to coat. Stir in walnuts and transfer to casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Unfortunately I was out of pecans today, but I can’t wait to add them next time I make this recipe. This dish is hearty enough to be eaten as a complete meal, try serving it over orzo.

What other side dishes are perfect for cold nights?

Savory Chicken Pasties

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appetizers, chicken, chicken cordon bleu, chicken pasty, dinner, pastry, pasty, pears, recipe, savory, savory pasty, snack, swiss

During our holiday in Scotland, we loved walking into a bakery and walking out with savory chicken pasties…  I decided to create the same yummy in the belly, easy to eat experience for dinner (think of it as a gourmet Hot Pocket).

Savoy Chicken Pasty

Ingredients:
Phyllo sheets, Chicken breasts, sour cream, Dijon mustard, pears, swiss cheese, olive oil (or melted butter)

Directions:
Cook chicken breast in frying pan with EVOO (use any herbs, spices you like for your chicken). Remove from pan, allow to cool and pat dry. Brush olive oil on each layer of Phyllo. Mix together Dijon mustard and sour cream together and set aside. Layer 1 slice of cheese, pears, cream (thin layer), chicken, cream and second slice of cheese on the left side of the Phyllo sheets and fold over. Brush with olive oil and press sides closed. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.

Yum, yum! I think this would be very plain without the pears, Hubster thinks it would be very plain without the ham. Next time I am going to try bleu cheese with my pears and chicken instead of the swiss.

*Hubster’s chicken breast was wrapped in a thin slice of ham before layering his ingredients in his pasty. Sort of chicken cordon bleu…

*You may prefer the taste of the butter over the olive oil.

*Of course you can add any combination of meat, cheese and veggies to make these delicious pasties. What combinations are you going to try?