Feast & Lore

Food stories featuring heritage recipes and new experiments.

Archives for June 2017

German Pancake with Cinnamon Apples

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German Pancake with Cinnamon Apples

Slow down, relax and make this breakfast in your pyjamas while everyone else is still dozing this long weekend. The ingredients are simple, yet the result of a German pancake, glorious and puffy right out of the oven, is spectacular.

A twirl of apple peels in the foreground with slices in behind.

When I first started making this, every once in a while it would be disappointingly flat, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. My husband was convinced it was the mixing, he thought for sure an electric mixer had to be used to add air to the batter. I tried that, but to no avail. Finally I figured it out. The key to puffy german pancake perfection is a really, really hot pan. So many recipes tell you to put the butter into your dish and heat it in the oven until the butter melts, but this is inadequate, your pan won’t be hot enough. And if you leave it in the oven too long with the butter, it will be scalded.

What I do is place an empty skillet into the oven right when I turn it on. That way I know the skillet will be at oven temperature (450°) when I’m ready to add the batter. Butter gets added while the skillet is searingly hot (the butter will sizzle and melt almost instantly when you add it to the pan—just like in the video below). Twirl the pan with the butter until it’s melted and add in the batter, and pop it into the oven. 15 minutes later, it will be three times the height, buttery, crisp and golden.

As for the pan, I use an old heavy skillet with the handle removed (as it wasn’t oven safe to 450° with the handle). An oven safe skillet (please ensure that it can withstand up to 450°), cast iron pan or glass pie baking dish will work just fine as well.

Apples frying on the stove with brown sugar and cinnamon scattered on top

While the batter is transforming in the oven, melt some more butter in a medium skillet, add the slices apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook for 12–15 minutes until the apples are soft and the sugar has caramelized a little. And that’s it—serve with a dusting of icing sugar and maple syrup, drizzled with the apple juices from the pan. What better way to spend a lazy weekend morning?

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German Pancake with Cinnamon Apples

The ingredients are simple, yet the result of a German pancake, glorious and puffy right out of the oven, is spectacular. Cinnamon apples pan seared on the stove while the pancake bakes are the perfect accompaniment.

Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp butter (or margarine)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 apples peeled, cored and sliced into 12 slices each
  • 2–3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Place empty oven-proof skillet (safe up to 450°) into the oven with rack in middle position (batter will rise well above the pan so ensure there will be room). Preheat oven to 450°.

  2. Combine eggs, milk, flour and salt into a medium bowl. Stir with a fork until smooth and just a few small lumps remain. 

  3. When the oven has reached temperature, remove the skillet and add 2 tbsp butter. The butter will sizzle and melt; swirl the butter in the pan until melted, tilting to coat the sides with melted butter. Add the batter to the pan, and pop back into the oven. Bake 15 minutes, or until very puffy and golden. 

  4. While the pancake is in the oven, melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium skillet on the stove top, over medium high heat. Add apple slices and stir, turning to coat evenly with butter. Add brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook on high for 10–12 minutes, until the apples soften and the juices have combined with the brown sugar and cinnamon and cooked down into a syrupy sauce.

  5. Remove skillet from the oven, slice pancake and sprinkle with powdered sugar on top. Add sautéed apples to the plate, spooning the sugary juices on top of the pancake.

Garlic Lime Chicken with Mango Salsa and White Bean Quesadillas

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Mango Salsa with Garlic Lime Chicken with Quesadillas

 

This summer inspired feast is the perfect thing to tuck into on a patio with an ice cold beer (or a white wine sangria). Juicy mango forms the base of a salsa that is the perfect accompaniment to seared chicken. Even on its own, the chicken is lively with fresh garlic, lime juice and cumin. Quesadillas grilled with cheese, spinach and a white bean puree round out the plate. It also makes for great leftovers, holding up well for a day or two after it’s made.

There are multiple recipes outlined to bring together for the final ensemble, but everything is quite easy and the whole thing can pulled together in about 60 minutes. Not to mention any of the three recipes are great on their own or paired with other dishes—for example the mango salsa would also make for a mean topping on fish tacos. But back to this recipe grouping—our plan of attack: start by cutting and prepping all of the ingredients, sauté and blitz the beans into a puree, and then while the chicken is cooking, stir together the mango salsa and assemble and sear the quesadillas. Let’s get started.

Once you’ve cut and prepped everything, create the quesadilla bean puree filling. Cook the beans with olive oil, spices and shallots until the beans soften and the shallots are slightly golden.

White kidney (Canellini) beans are cooked in a skillet with olive oil and shallots.

Remove from heat, and add to a mini-blender with lime juice. Puree until smooth.

Prep the quesadillas: start with one whole wheat wrap, spread it with the bean puree, add baby spinach and top with cheese.

Quesadilla is assembled starting with a base of flatbread with puree, spinach, then cheese and topped off with another flatbread.

Next, prep the chicken. You’ll want to remove the tenders, and then slice each breast open like a book to stuff with limes, fresh garlic, salt and pepper. Then close them back up to seal the limes and garlic inside.

Add chicken to a large saute pan with olive oil. Add additional garlic to the pan, pouring half of the lime juice on top, and sprinkle with cumin. Flip the chicken half-way through, pour the remaining lime juice over, and sear well.

To finish cooking, I like to turn the heat down to a low setting (2–3 on my induction cooktop) and cover the pan with foil (or a lid if you have one). I find this slow finish makes for a juicy and tender final product.

Finally, mix the ingredients for the mango salsa and cook the quesadillas.

Ingredients for mango salsa in a green bowl

Bring it all together and dinner is served!

shot from above, chicken with mango salsa, with quesadillas on the side

 

Don’t forget to save some for lunch tomorrow…

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Garlic Lime Chicken

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts tenders removed
  • 2 tbsp garlic finely chopped
  • 1 lime cut into 8 slices
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp cumin

Instructions

  1. Remove tenders from chicken breasts, and slice each breast starting from the thickest point, cutting partway through until you are able to open the breast like a book. Season with salt and pepper to taste

  2. Sprinkle half of the garlic over the opened chicken breasts. Place 2 lime wedges at the centre, and fold back the chicken to close the "book". 

  3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the olive oil. Place the chicken into the pan, add remaining garlic, pour half of the lime juice over top, and sprinkle with cumin. 

  4. Cook for 6–8 minutes, then flip chicken over. Pour the remaining lime juice over top. Cook until a nice golden sear develops on the second side, about 2–3 minutes. Then turn the heat to medium-low, and top with a lid (or use foil if you don't have a lid for your skillet) until chicken is cooked through, about 4–6 additional minutes.

  5. Serve with mango salsa spooned over top.

 

 

Colourful mango salsa tops seared chicken with tangy lime and savoury garlic
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Mango Salsa


Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe mangos peeled and chopped into 1/4" dice
  • 1/2 fresh pinapple peeled and chopped into 1/4" dice
  • 1/4 cup chopped jalapeno peppers more if you like it spicy, seeded for less spicy
  • 2 shallots sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1/4 cup lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange or pinapple juice

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine lime and orange juice, crushed garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Allow to rest while you prep and combine the remaining 5 ingredients into a large bowl.

  2. Remove garlic from juices and discard. Pour juices over the salsa mixture and serve.

 

 

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White Bean Spinach Quesadillas


Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 shallots chopped
  • 19 oz white kidney beans ((Cannellini beans) drained and rinsed
  • pinch nutmeg
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 8 whole wheat tortillas, 7"
  • 8 oz baby spinach
  • 1 cup grated cheese Cheddar-Mozzarella mix works well

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet on medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook until softened, about 2–3 minutes. Add white beans, nutmeg and salt & pepper to taste, and continue to cook for 5–8 minutes until beans soften.

  2. Transfer bean mixture to a mini-food processor, add juice of 1 lime, and pulse until it forms a puree.

  3. Build the quesadillas: starting with one tortilla, spread 1/4 of the bean mixture on top. Add a handful of baby spinach, and top with cheese. Top with another tortilla. Repeat to build four.

  4. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil—when heated and shimmering, add one quesadilla. Cook until the tortilla crisps up and the filling starts to melt, then flip. Cook until the bottom is golden and the filling is nice and melty.

  5. Slice and serve!