The Kidlet and I made this cake to take to Thanksgiving. It is a very rich, dense cake full of oatmeal and chocolate. And the peanut butter icing adds even more decadence.

Photo goes here.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Slightly adapted from C&C Cakery

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 c. rolled oats
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 c. boiling water
• 225g dark chocolate chips (or coarsely chopped dark chocolate)
• 1 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. sugar¹
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting

• 1 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 200g icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar²
• 3/4 c. heavy (35%) cream, whipped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease a 23x33cm (9x13") cake tin/baking dish.
2. Place the stick of butter with the oats, pour over the boiling water, and let stand for 1 minute.
3. Stir the oat mixture to thoroughly combine and let stand until cooled.
4. Meanwhile, toss the chocolate with 2 Tbsp. of the flour and set aside.
5. Beat the eggs with the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla.
6. Add the oat mixture once cooled and stir to combine.
7. Mix in the remaining 1 1/2 c. of flour.
8. Stir in the flour-coated chocolate chips.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
10. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 35-45 minutes.
11. Allow to cool completely before icing.
12. Beat the peanut butter with the butter until light and fluffy.
13. Mix in the vanilla and salt.
14. Gradually sift in the icing sugar while continuing to beat vigorously.
15. Fold in the whipped cream.
16. Spread the icing evenly over the cooled cake.

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¹ The original recipe called for 3/4 c. sugar and 1 1/4 c. brown sugar. I used the full amount of granulated sugar, but only 1 c. of brown sugar this time around. The cake came out great, but I'd be tempted to try it with slightly less sugar next time. Maybe just 1/2 of granualted and 1 c. of brown. And, if that works well, I'd be tempted to omit the granulated sugar altogether on future attempts and just roll with 1 1/4 c. of brown sugar. That said, I didn't want to adjust things too much too fast. Hence the incremental approach. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for 2 c. of icing sugar. I weighed my sugar and found it came in at ~125g/cup. So I used ~250g of icing sugar for my frosting. That said, I found it a little sweeter and stiffer than I'd ideally like, so I think I'd aim for closer to 200g of sugar next time. ^Back

This is pretty similar to the savoury sourdough discard we already make, but it incorporates a chemical leavener to yield a slightly fluffier finished pancake. The "batter" is just sourdough discard thinned with a little water, seasoned with a pinch of salt, and given a bit of baking powder for leavening. Chopped scallions and herbs get stirred into the batter as well. I think cilantro and/or parsley work particularly well. But you could experiment with a variety of different herbs.

The recipe suggests serving these with a dumpling dipping sauce. The Kidlet had hers with ketchup. TF went for some Sichuan peppercorn pickles. And I had mine with Laoganma and a little soy sauce. (Although next time I think I'd swap out the soy sauce for a bit of black vinegar instead.)

Much like with the other savoury pancakes, I think these go well with fried eggs. The eggs add a little protein and make the meal a bit more substantial.

Sourdough Herb and Scallion Pancakes

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 170g sourdough discard @ 100% hydration
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4-1/3 c. fresh herbs, chopped
• fried eggs, to serve
• condiments (soy sauce, Laoganma, pickles, ketchup, mayo, vinegar, etc.), to serve

Directions

1. Combine the sourdough discard, water, salt, and baking soda and mix well.
2. Mix in the green onions and herbs.
3. Heat a tawa or griddle over medium heat.
4. Oil or grease the griddle if necessary.
5. Drop a scoop of batter (~1/4 c.) onto the hot griddle and cook until bubbles form and edges look dry.
6. Flip and cook until browned on both sides and pancake is cooked through.
7. Repeat with remaining batter, cooking 2-3 pancakes at a time.
8. Serve pancakes topped with fried eggs and/or conidements of your choice.

Zeera Kamal Kakadi (Cumin Lotus Root Curry)

We had a small amount of lotus root left over in the freezer from the last lotus root curry we made, but it wasn't really enough to do anything with. It was, however, enough to add to a new bag of frozen lotus root to make a different curry. And a very tasty and easy one to boot!

Zeera Kamal Kakadi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. mustard oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 slices fresh ginger (5x3x0.3cm), peeled and minced
• 3 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, minced
• 1 c. water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g fresh or frozen lotus root, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, and chilies and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the water, salt, and lotus root and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, cream, and cumin and mix well.
6. Once the lotus root is cooked, add the yogurt mixture and stir to combine.
7. Cook until heated through (3-5 minutes).
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Limboo Arbi (Taro Root Curry with Lime)

I was originally planning on making just two curries for dinner tonight: one lamb and fenugreek curry and one dal. However, both curries had a reasonably long simmering stage and I found myself at loose ends, so I decided to throw together this simple taro root curry as well.

It was especially easy in my case, since I had a bag of peeled, sliced taro root in the freezer already. So there was virtually no prep needed. I just dumped the taro into a pot of hot water and brought it to a boil. Once the water boiled, I drained it immediately rather than letting it cook for any length of time because a) frozen vegetables have generally been parcooked already and b) it was sliced much tinner than the thick half moons suggested by the recipe. This seems to have worked reasonably well and I'm quite happy with the result.

Limboo Arbi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 450g taro root
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp. sambhar masala
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. ground asafetida
• 12 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. skinned split black lentils (urad dal/white lentils/mapte beans)
• 1 c. water
• juice of 1 lime

Directions

1. Peel the taro and rise well (it will still be slippery after rinsing).
2. Cut each root in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 3-4cm pieces.
3. Place taro in a pot with enough water to cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Then drain and allow to cool slightly.¹
5. Toss the cooked taro with the cilantro, sambhar masala, salt, turmeric, asafetia, and curry leaves.
6. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they stop popping (30-60 seconds).
8. Add the lentils and stir-fry for 15-30 seconds.
9. Add the taro mixture and stir-fry to cook the spices (1-2 minutes).
10. Add the water and deglaze the pan.
11. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens (~5 minutes).
12. Stir in the lime juice and serve.

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¹ Alternatively, instead of peeling and cutting up the taro first, scrub it with a vegetable brush and then boil the whole (unpeeled) roots for ~15 minutes. Drain, allow to cool, and peel and chop the taro once it is cool enough to handle. Either approach should work equally well. ^Back

Honeycakes (Game of Thrones)

The story behind this recipe is somewhat convoluted. It is based on a recipe posted on the C&C Cakery blog, who got it from Inn at the Crossroads, who, in turn, based their recipe on an early modern recipe they found for honeycakes, which they modified to be closer to a dish described in the Game of Thrones books.

The quote they were riffing on mentioned cakes that had been "soaked in honey". So they made these Elizabethan-era honeycakes and then cut little holes in the tops and poured a generous quantity of honey into the centre of each one.

I'm not sure how close this comes to the treats the author had been imagining. Based on the description, I was imagining more of a small quick bread/chemically leavened cake that then gets soaked in a (possibly mildly spiced) honey syrup. But, I guess they wanted to use an old timey recipe as the basis for their cakes. I think there was a sense that this would fit the vibe of the setting a bit better. And, as written, the recipe does make delightful little rolls! (Although I think they'd be even better with a little butter added to the dough.) And, to be fair, it looks like the folks at Inn at the Crossroads did post a recipe for "modern honeycakes" that does use a chemically leavened batter baked in muffin tins to produce something more similar to what I'd originally been envisioning. (Although I have yet to try that recipe.)

I think it could be interesting to experiment with different takes on this idea. For example, I might be inclined to try making the little yeasted buns again, but try steaming them rather than baking them. Or try adding some butter and extra anise to the dough. Or try poaching them in honey syrup either before or after baking. There are all sorts of possibilities!

Honeycakes

Slightly adapted from C&C Cakery

Ingredients

• 480mL brown ale
• 6 Tbsp. honey, divided
• 4 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1 Tbsp. instant yeast)
• 800g all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 6 Tbsp. almond flour
• 1 Tbsp. anise seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter¹, softened (optional)
• extra honey

Directions

1. Combine the ale with 2 Tbsp. of the honey and gently warm to ~40°C (100°F).
2. Remove from heat and sprinkle in the yeast and let stand for 5 minutes. (If using instant yeast you may add the yeast directly to the dry ingredients instead. No need to bloom it in the ale first.)
3. Meanwhile, combine the flour, sugar, almond flour, anise, and salt and mix well. (If using instant yeast, add it along with the other dry ingredients.)
4. Pour the yeast mixture into a mixing bowl along with the almond extract and the remaining honey.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients a little at a time to form a soft dough.
6. Work in the butter (if using).
7. Cover and rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
8. Knock dough back and divide into 20-24 equal portions.
9. Round each portion and place on a greased baking sheet or in a greased 23x33cm (9x13") baking tin.
10. Cover and allow to rise for another hour or so.²
11. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
12. Uncover rolls and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15-20 minutes.
13. Cut a small hole in the top of each roll and carefully spoon in a generous quantity of honey. (The original recipe suggested ~1 Tbsp. per roll, but I went for a somewhat more modest 1 tsp..)

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¹ The original recipe did not call for any butter and I didn't use any this time, but I would like to try adding a bit of butter next time. The rolls were certainly plenty good as-is, but I think a bit of butter might make them even better. ^Back
2 I let my rolls rise for about an hour after shaping, but, in retrospect, I wish I'd given them another 15-20 minutes. They're perfectly good as-is, but they do seem a bit underproofed. The exact timing, of course, will depend on the temperature of your room. My house is a bit on the cool side right now, so the yeast were a bit sluggish. ^Back

I've been mostly using Bernard Clayton's recipes when making bread lately, but I felt like changing things up a bit this time. I'd been looking at the King Arthur Flour website for pancake recipes anyway and figured that maybe I'd give some of their bread recipes a go. They have quite a few sourdough recipes listed, but this chocolate sourdough sounded particularly interesting. The cocoa makes for a very dark, rich-tasting bread. And the chocolate chunks add a bit of sweetness without being overwhelming.

The recipe claims that this bread is more savoury than sweet. And, while I'd agree that the dough itself is not very sweet, the amount of chocolate worked into it does shift it more away from the savoury end of the spectrum than I was expecting. It's definitely not aggressively sweet or anything and I do think it works well paired with mild cheeses as a sort of sweet-and-savoury combo, but I would still say it leans more savoury than sweet, personally. It's lovely! I just wouldn't necessarily classify it as "savoury".

Chocolate Sourdough Bread

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

Preferment

• 25g ripe (fed) starter @ 100% hydration
• 210g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 145g water

Dough

• 480g water
• 500-600g hard (strong/high grade/bread) or all-purpose flour
• 36g Dutched (alkalized) cocoa
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 200g dark chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Combine the starter, whole wheat flour, and water and mix well.
2. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 12-16 hours.
3. The next morning, add the water to the preferment and use your fingers to break up the dough and mix it into the water.
4. Mix vigorously for a few seconds, then begin adding the flour, cocoa, and salt. Start with 500g of flour, but add a little more if the dough seems excessively sticky or loose. That said, it's probably better for the dough to be a little too loose than too tight.
5. Mix very well, then cover and allow to rest for 30-60 minutes.
6. Perform a bowl fold, cover and rest for another hour or so.
7. Wet your bench/work surface and turn the dough out. Press it into a large, flat rectangle.
8. Sprinkle the chocolate evenly over the surface.
9. Perform a letter fold (folding the dough into thirds) and then roll it up (as if shaping a large loaf).
10. Return to bowl and allow to rest for another 30-60 minutes.
11. Repeat the folding/rolling and resting process until the dough begins to feel light and well-risen. (Probably 1-3 additional fold/rest periods, but it will depend on the temperature of your room and the activity of your starter.)
12. Knock the dough back and divide into two equal portions.
13. Round each one, cover, and rest for 10-20 minutes.
14. Shape into loaves and place, seam-side-up, into well-floured bannetons.
15. Cover and place in fridge to proof overnight.²
16. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 250°C (475°F) and put a kettle on to boil.
17. Grease a baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal.
18. Turn the loaves out onto the prepared baking sheet. Optionally lightly wet the surface of the loaves.
19. Slash loaves as desired.
20. Once the oven is preheated, pour some boiling water into a large pan and place it on the lower oven rack.
21. Place the bread on a rack set above the pan of boiling water and bake at 250°C (475°F) for 15 minutes.
22. Reduce heat to 200°C (400°F), remove water pan, and bake until done (~15 minutes longer).
23. Turn oven off and allow bread to stand in hot oven for an additional 5-10 minutes.
24. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

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¹ I didn't have room in the fridge when making this bread, so I proofed mine at room temperature. I think it took ~2 hours at 21°C (70°F). ^Back

Orecchiette alla Verza

I don't think this was a favourite for either me or symbol, but we did like it, and everyone, including the Kidlet, had seconds. And while it takes a long time to prepare, it is very easy, and the ingredients, while not self-stable, keep well.

I also appreciate that it uses an entire cabbage, rather than ¼-½ a cabbage as so many recipes do. (The original recipe calls for only 6 cups of cabbage, but that's not how we roll.) I think it would go nicely with some onions as well, too.

Orecchiette alla Verza (Orecchiette with Anchovies and Cabbage

From The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Guiliano Hazan (p. 129)

Ingredients

• 1 package bacon
• 8 whole anchovies
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cabbage, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
• 450g orechiette
• 1 tbsp butter
• freshly grated parmesan

Directions

1. In a large, deep-sided skillet or pot, cook the bacon. Remove to a plate, retaining the bacon fat in the pan.
2. Return skillet to medium-low heat. Add anchovies and cook until they start to break down.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and the anchovies have dissolved, ~2-3 minutes.
4. Add cabbage and stir until coated with bacon fat. You may need to do this in multiple steps, letting it cook down a bit between.
5. Season cabbage with black pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until cooked down and very tender, ~30 minutes.
6. Cook pasta al dente.
7. Crumble or cut bacon into small pieces; stir into cabbage.
8. Add butter to the cabbage and toss until melted.
9. Drain pasta and toss with cabbage.
10. Serve with parmesan.

Cholar Papeeta Dal (Green Papaya Dal)

I still had a kohlrabi languishing in the fridge that needed using. And after the success of using kohlrabi as a green papaya substitute in the past, I decided to give it another go with this split pea and "papaya" dal. that said, if you have neither papaya or kohlrabi, Iyer suggests several possible alternatives. Rutabaga (turnip/swede), potato, and sweet potato are all suggested as viable substitutes in this instance.

Cholar Papeeta Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 3 1/2 c. water, divided
• 450g green unripe papaya (or kohlrabi, rutabaga, potato, or sweet potato), peeled and diced
• 4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, halved lengthwise
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 tsp. panch phoron
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies, stems removed
• 1 tsp. Bangala garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of 1 lime

Directions

1. Rinse the split peas well and drain.
2. Add 3 c. of the water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat.
3. Skim off any foam that forms, then add the papaya and fresh chilies.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until peas are almost tender (~30 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
6. Add the panch phoron and sizzle for 15-30 seconds.
7. Add the onion and dried chilies and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.
8. Add the garam masala and turmeric and stir-fry for another 10-15 seconds.
9. Add the remaining 1/2 c. of water and deglaze the pan. Remove from heat and set aside.
10. Once the peas are almost tender, uncover the pot and increase heat to medium-high.
11. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the peas are tender (~10 minutes).
12. Add the onion mixture and the salt and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.
13. Stir in cilantro and lime juice and serve.

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Variants

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 3 1/2 c. water, divided
• 450g green unripe papaya (or kohlrabi, rutabaga, potato, or sweet potato), peeled and diced
• 4 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, halved lengthwise
• 2 Tbsp. mustard or canola oil
• 2 tsp. panch phoron
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies, stems removed
• 1 tsp. Bangala garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of 1 lime

This recipe comes courtesy of the King Arthur Flour website. I used it to make sourdough pancakes. But the authors note that it works equally well for waffles. I cannot vouch for the outcome when waffling. But it did make tasty pancakes!

The recipe as written calls for entirely white flour. But, because my starter is based on whole wheat, I opted to use a mix of white and whole wheat flour. I figure the extra fibre is a nice bonus and having at least some whole wheat flour in the sponge is probably helpful for the starter as well.

The sponge rose nicely overnight and bubbled up dramatically when the baking soda was added in the morning. Despite this, the pancakes were not quite as fluffy as I was expecting. They were still very good. Just not as soft and light as I'm used to getting from some of my other buttermilk pancake recipes. But, they're easy and use a generous quantity of sourdough discard, so I really can't complain!

This recipe makes a fairly big batch of pancakes. I didn't count, but I'd say I got well in excess of two dozen (using ~1/4 c. of batter per pancake). I think, between us, we ate about a dozen for breakfast and it looked like there were still maybe a dozen and a half to two dozen going in the fridge afterward. So, this is a fairly generous recipe.

Given that I was making such a big batch, I decided to try adding some mix-ins to some of the batter. I made the first 10 or so plain and then, for the remaining batter, I added a combination of pecans, toasted sesame seeds, and white poppy seeds. (A slightly tweaked version of a suggested set of mix-ins from The Breakfast Bible. Mostly because a) I wanted a higher proportion of pecans and more mix-ins overall than the original recipe called for and b) because I couldn't find my regular poppy seeds, so I ended up using some white poppy seeds instead.)

Given that I did these pancakes two different ways, I debated whether or not to write this up as one recipe or two. I think normally I would simply do the batter write-up and then add a separate section at the bottom of the post with a variant that includes the mix-ins. But I also added toppings (peanut butter, maple syrup, and bacon) to the pancakes with the mix-ins. And, at that point, it feels like it begins to approach the point of being a new dish/recipe. So, with that in mind, I decided to make a separate post for the gussied up version and only include the plain batter here.

Sourdough Pancakes (or Waffles)

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

Sponge

• 225g sourdough discard @ 100% hydration
• 120g all-purpose flour
• 120g whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 c. buttermilk

Batter

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Directions

1. Combine the discard, flours, sugar, and buttermilk in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Cover and let stand at room temperature for ~12 hours.
3. The next morning, stir down the sponge and mix in the eggs, salt, and butter.
4. Sift in the baking soda and mix very well.
5. Let the batter stand while you preheat a griddle or tawa over medium heat. For waffles, preheat your waffle iron.
6. Lightly grease the tawa as needed and make your pancakes, using ~1/4 c. of batter for each and cooking until golden-brown on both sides. For waffles, pour a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer directions.
7. Repeat until all batter has been used.
8. Serve with your favourite toppings.

I was going to make pancakes for breakfast this morning. But I figured that I'd better make them sourdough pancakes since my starter is still looking pretty neglected and sluggish. But, looking at the blog, I don't really have much in the way of sourdough pancake recipes. I have one that I got off a random blog. It seemed fine, but nothing to write home about. And in that post I mentioned the King Arthur Flour website. So I figured that maybe I'd take a look there before I committed to anything. And I did, indeed, find a promising-looking sourdough pancake recipe on the site! Unfortunately, it requires an overnight sponge. So that wasn't in the cards for today. But I've bookmarked it for later (possibly tomorrow) and, in the meantime, I needed to find something else for this morning.

After spending entirely too long browsing recipes, I settled on this puffed, vaguely soufflé-esque oven pancake thing. The batter is somewhat similar to a Dutch baby/Yorkshire pudding in its proportions, but, instead of mixing whole eggs into the batter, you separate the eggs and beat the whites to soft peaks with a bit of sugar. (In that respect, it's a lot like many of the extra-fluffy pancake or extra-light-and-crispy waffle recipes that I've seen.)

The batter is poured into a hot pan and baked in the oven not unlike a Dutch baby. But the temperature is lower and the whipped egg whites give it a very different final texture.

The finished pancake is topped with a berry compote and folded over like an omelette. (Sadly, mine broke when I tried to fold it.) It is then optionally topped with some sort of cultured dairy: In order of preference crème fraîche, sour cream, or Greek yogurt.

I'm pretty happy with the recipe overall. Even if it wasn't anything like what I'd originally had in mind for today!

Soufflé Pancake with Mixed Berries

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

Batter

• 3 large eggs, separated
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 c. whole (3.25%) milk
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

Topping

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 2 c. mixed berries, halved if large
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 c. crème fraîche, sour cream, or Greek yogurt (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Beat egg whites until foamy.
3. Add sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, and continue beating until soft peaks form.
4. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks, milk, salt, vanilla, and butter.
5. Mix in flour.
6. Gently fold in egg whites.
7. Warm a large pan over medium-low heat and lightly grease or oil it.
8. Pour in the batter and gently swirl the pan.
9. Cook for 2-3 minutes to set the bottom.
10. Transfer to oven and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10-12 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, melt the butter for the topping over medium heat.
12. Add the corn syrup and sugar and bring to a boil.
13. Add the berries, lemon juice, and cinnamon and stir to coat and combine.¹
14. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until berries are heated through (~3 minutes; longer for frozen berries).
15. Once the pancake is done, pour the berry mixture over it and fold the pancake in half like an omelette.
16. Cut into wedges and served topped with crème fraîche (or cultured dairy of your choice).

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¹ If you're using frozen berries rather than fresh, you may also want to add a tsp. or so of cornstarch along with the berries to help your mixture thicken as the frozen berries will release a lot of liquid as they thaw. ^Back

We had a surplus of chicken this week. We thawed out a big package of chicken breasts for a recipe that only actually needed ~1/3 of them. I was planning on making some sort of curry with the remainder. But, in the end, I decided to try something from Aaron & Claire's channel instead. This gochujang chicken looked tasty. And I had everything I needed to make it (except for the asparagus for the side), so I figured I'd give it a try.

The original recipe calls for skin-on chicken thighs, but I figured I could probably make it work with skinless chicken breasts. They're a lot leaner, for sure, so I was somewhat generous with the fat when cooking. And they generally take a lot longer to cook, so I cut each breast into three or four smaller pieces to allow them to cook through more quickly. And, I must say, I really have no complaints with the results! It came out great!

TF even managed to run out and grab some asparagus so we could have our greens with it. And I made a somewhat pared down version of oi muchim (basically just omitting the garlic chives), to give us a few more veggies on our plates. Sadly, I completely forgot about the soft-boiled eggs. Maybe we can have some with the leftovers tonight. But, other than my minor brain fart, this recipe worked out really well! Definitely glad I tried it.

Gochujang-Glazed Chicken

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Calire

Ingredients

Asparagus

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 400g asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 mild red chile, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. gochujang
• 2 Tbsp. gochugaru
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. dasida or chicken bouillon powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper, ground
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)

Chicken

• 600-700g skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into tender-sized pieces
• 1/4-1/3 c. cornstarch (cornflour) or potato starch
• 3-4 Tbsp. schmaltz or lard
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 green onions, white parts only, chopped

Assembly

• 2-4 c. cooked rice
• 4 soft- or medium-boiled eggs
• 2 green onions, green parts only, chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Asparagus

1. Heat a wok over medium heat.
2. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
3. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
4. Add the asparagus and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
5. Increase heat to medium-high and add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chile (if using) and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and set aside.

Sauce

1. Combine all sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

Chicken

1. Dredge the chicken in the starch to coat completely.
2. Melt ~1 Tbsp. of fat over medium heat.
3. Add a few pieces of chicken to the pan and cook, turning every few minutes, until golden-brown on all sides and cooked through (4-5 minutes per side).
4. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding more fat to pan as needed.
5. Set chicken aside and add a little more fat to the pan. If there is a lot of fond/stuck-on bits, add a splash of water and deglaze the pan.
6. Add the garlic, ginger paste, and green onions (white parts only) and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
7. Stir the sauce and pour it into the pan.
8. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened.
9. Return the chicken to the pan.
10. Stir to coat, reduce heat to low, and cook until heated through and well-combined.

Assembly

1. Place a portion of rice on each bowl/plate.
2. Top with some chicken, asparagus stir-fry, and a soft-boiled egg (cut in half).
3. Sprinkle with chopped green onion (green parts only) and sesame seeds and serve.

I've been working my way through all the suggested mix-in and topping combinations for pancakes in The Breakfast Bible. In retrospect I think that maybe the peanut butter and bacon would have been a better match for the banana pancakes, but I think it still worked reasonably well with the nuts and seeds used here.

Nutty Sourdough Pancakes with Bacon

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Pancakes

• 1 batch sourdough pancake batter
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans
• 1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds
• 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Toppings

• peanut butter
• maple syrup
• bacon

Directions

1. Make your pancake batter as directed.
2. Add the pecans, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds and stir to combine.
3. Cook the pancakes as usual, using ~1/4 c. of batter for each.
4. Top pancakes with peanut butter, maple syrup, and bacon.
5. Optionally serve with fried eggs.

I wanted something a bit special, but still relatively quick and easy for TF's birthday breakfast. There are lots of options in that vein, of course, but being me, I also had a preference for trying something new.

Since we still had some eggs and the recipe wasn't too complicated otherwise, I decided to give these scrambled eggs a go. They came out very nicely. Although I think I might actually reduce the kielbasa and increase the arugula somewhat next time. But that's more about watching my weight than anything else. The balance of flavours was fine. I just think it would have been just as good (and slightly healthier) with less meat and more veg.

Kielbasa, Arugula, and Gouda Scrambled Eggs

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil¹
• 1 shallot, halved and thinly sliced
• 150g kielbasa², halved and sliced
• 8 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 30-40g gouda, grated
• 30-40g arugula

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the shallot and kielbasa and cook, stirring frequently, until shallot is softened (~5 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the milk, salt, and pepper and set aside.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the butter.
5. Once butter is melted, pour in the egg mixture.
6. Allow eggs to cook for 1-2 minutes without stirring.
7. Gently stir and cook until eggs are mostly set (~3 minutes longer).
8. Add the gouda and arugula, stir to combine.
9. Cook for 1 more minute, then serve.

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¹ The original recipe called for 2 Tbsp. of oil. I cut it back to 1 Tbsp., but, honestly, I think 1/2 Tbsp. would have been sufficient. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for 185g of kielbasa, which is what I used, but I think it would have been just as good with a little less. ^Back

I've been continuing to work my way through the different suggested mix-ins and combinations of toppings in the pancake section of the Breakfast Bible. I thought that the spiced pancakes would go particularly well with the apples and sugar-and-spice compound butter. And they did! (That butter, by the way, is also excellent on waffles and/or banana-oat pancakes.)

Spiced Pancakes with Apples and Compound Butter

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Batter

• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. quick oats
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. mixed spice
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 2 tsp. grated orange zest
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Toppings

• sugar-and-spice butter
• apple(s), diced
• pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)
• maple syrup

Directions

1. Combine flours, oats, sugar, mixed spice, and salt.
2. Sift in baking powder and baking soda and mix well.
3. Beat the eggs with the buttermilk and orange zest.
4. Drizzle the butter into the wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
6. Heat a skillet, griddle, or tawa over medium heat. Add a little butter or oil if necessary.
7. Using ~1/4 c. of batter per pancake, portion 3-4 into the pan and cook until underside is browned and bubbles form on surface.
8. Flip and continue cooking until both sides are browned and pacakes are cooked through.
9. Repeat until all batter has been used.
10. Serve pancakes topped with a little of the compound butter, some diced apple, toasted pecans (if using), and a drizzle of maple syrup.