My first baby, Dutch baby that is. 🙂 In the morning, I crave savory more than sweet so here is my take on a savory puffy pancake, inspired by Dorie Greenspan. Hers has mixed herbs and scallions but I swapped the scallions for a sprinkling of my favorite cheese on top just before baking. It adds a nice color and saltiness. I also increased the volume of the batter to fit a 12″ pan. Happy brunching!
Humphry Slocombe is one of my favorite ice cream shops in San Francisco. The menu changes daily to incorporate inventive, seasonal flavors. A few of my favorites include Candy Cap (winter), White Miso Peach (summer) and Black Sesame (ongoing). The latter is one of the best versions of sesame I’ve ever had. It has a strong flavor and the flecks of sesame add a nice texture. The flavor is available on and off throughout the year. So, the next best thing when I’m craving it, is to make it.
It is my third time making this traditional French pastry to kick off the new year. You can see my first version and read a bit more about the pastry here.
I changed things up a bit with the filling. Almond frangipane can be pretty strong and, in the past, I’ve balanced it out by incorporating chocolate pastry cream. Note, not all recipes call for frangipane (almond cream + pastry cream). Many call for just the former. However, I like the richness from the pastry cream. So this year, I re-worked the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook’s recipe and made a pistachio frangipane. I highly recommend buying pistachios without shells, unless you enjoy shelling and rubbing off the skins. It took me 1 episode of Dinner at Tiffani’s on the Food Network to get through them all. As much as I enjoy clearing another episode off my TiVo queue, I’d prefer not to have the extra step.
As December comes to a close, I started looking back at all the things I made this year and asked, what was my favorite? Scrolling through my Instagram feed, one pic instantly jumped out, Strawberry-Basil Cream Tarts. I remember how happy it made me feel to eat one and how good it was, SO good I didn’t want to stop eating. Luckily they’re individual-sized. Knowing me, I would have tried to eat a whole 9″ tart. I hope you find these tarts just as satisfying.
I can’t take care of plants so I opted out of buying a real wreath this Christmas, however a baked one, that I can do. For this babka wreath, I did a chocolate and orange pairing, perfect for the holidays. The bright orange flavor is incorporated in the dough in juice and zest forms. Then lovely ribbons of chocolate are woven in.
