Triple Gingerbread Pancakes

So, while I was reading some food blogs, it was brought to my attention that today, September 26th is National Pancake Day!

Being more of a French Toast gal, I usually only make pancakes when the family is all together...but seeing this is a national day of foodom remembrance, I'll chime in with one of my newer developments in the quick bread category:  Triple Gingerbread Pancakes.  This spicy, sweet flapjack is perfect for a cool autumn morning and a strong hot cup of Joe or better still breakfast for dinner!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp candied ginger, minced
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brewed coffee, cold
1/2 cup molasses
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 fresh orange or lemon juice
Vegetable oil for brushing the griddle
Maple Syrup

Method
Sift together flours, baking powder, soda, salt and dry spices in a large mixing bowl. 
Stir in sugar and candied ginger.
In another mixing bowl, whisk together coffee, water, molasses,  grated ginger, eggs, butter, juice and applesauce.
Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until combined.
Let the batter stand for 15 minutes to thicken.

Heat a 12 inch non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat.
Brush surface with oil, heating until hot but not smoking.
Working in small batches of 3 or 4 pancakes at a time, pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto griddle.
Cook until bubbles appear on the surface and edges of each pancake, about 2 minutes.
Flip the pancakes with a pancake turner and continue to cook until cooked through and the edges are slightly brown about another 1-2 minutes.
Transfer to a platter and keep warm in a low over while you prepare the rest of the batch.
Wipe the pan occasionally with a paper towel to remove dark bits and re-oil the pan as needed.

Serve with warm maple syrup and or warm spiced apples.

Bon Appetit!

Fall and French Onion Soup

It is a bit early, but it appears Autumn has fallen in these here parts.  Temperatures in the mid-forties this morning and a slightly brisk wind have me reaching for a long sleeved sweater and my chef's knife...so I can cut up onions for one of my favorite soups, French Onion Soup.  The first time I ever had REAL French onion soup was way back in 4th grade.  Madame Robinson took us to Maison Robert in Boston for a French class field trip.  We all were offered soup l'oignon and had a choice of coq au vin or boeuf bourguignon...I opted for the latter and this along with Julia Child's TV show, The French Chef, started my francophile tendencies.  I love coq au vin too!!

While living in Paris, I tried onion soup at a few bistros and cafes and sadly was often disappointed.  I think because Soup l'Oignon is so oft requested by tourists, quantity over quality takes precedence...along with escargot, boeuf bourguignon and quiche Lorraine...all can be found in just about every cafe, restaurant and bistro along the main boulevards...but to know these real French classics, they are best enjoyed at home with friends!

I have been developing and reworking my versions of these classics for years.  Today, with the appropriate chill in the air, I am tackling the soup!


French Onion Soup a la Alice Anne
Serves 4

Ingredients
3 pounds sweet white onions, sliced from stem to root
2 leeks, washed and sliced into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups white wine (really good wine!)
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
      For a darker soup and deeper flavor, use half chicken and half beef broth
1 beef bouillon cube (in lieu of salt)
*** Yes beef!  The beef adds a depth of flavor that I find key to the soup base.

Salt
Pepper
Sugar

4 thick slices of French baguette, toasted
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese


Method
 In a large soup pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onions, leeks, and thyme.
Season with a teaspoon each of salt, pepper and sugar.
Reduce heat to low.
Add minced garlic.
Simmer for about 40 minutes or until the onions are a lovely caramel brown color.

Increase the heat to medium.
Sprinkle flour over onions.
Stir until onions are evenly coated and the flour browns slightly (about 3-5 minutes).

Add wine, bouillon and broth and bring mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler.
Pour boiling water into 4 ovenproof soup crocks and set aside to warm.

Remove water from bowls.
Set bowls on a foil lined sheet pan and ladle in soup.

Place toast on soup and immerse slightly.
Top each toast with some cheese.

Carefully move bowls on the sheet pan to oven, about 4 inches under the broiler.
Heat crocks until cheese melts and starts to brown; about 3 minutes.
DO NOT leave the crocks unattended.

Garnish with chopped parsley and or chives.

Serve immediately but proceed with caution...this soup is always HOT!

Wine pairing: 
2009 Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuisse
OR
2008 Trimbach Riesling


Bon appetit!

Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit!

I don't know if it is circadian rhythms or what, but I have had a desire for legumes lately.  I have added chickpeas to salads, ladled lentils over spicy sausage and practically lusted after frijoles negro!

Despite the nay-saying of many a culinary expert, I use canned beans...a lot.  When I am really organized or feeling exceptionally frugal, I'll soak dried beans and peas for recipes that I know will go low and slow.
But when I have a hankering for one of my favorite carb-o-proteins, I'll crank and dump a can or two and after a good rinsing, pull together something that screams comfort.

In recent weeks, I whipped up a Tuscan Baked bean dish, an awesome black bean soup, spicy red beans and rice,  and developed a pickled green bean and chick pea snacky-relish deal...great out on the deck with a cold beer on a hot afternoon.

But my new favorite bean dish is so easy...crank and dump...that I feel guilty calling it cooking!  Okay, there is some sauteing involved and the dish is finished off in the oven, but really it is soooo easy and beyond good.  It is a perfect addition to a Meatless Monday repertoire too!  This dish is so hearty that the first time I made it, my husband asked me what was the meat in the dish! 

Here we go...

Easy Cheesy Black Bean Tortilla Bake                            serves 4

Ingredients
2  19 ounce cans black beans rinsed (I use Pastene or Goya beans)
1   cup  diced fire roasted tomatoes
2/3 cup salsa verde (I use and LOVE Trader Joe's Salsa Verde)
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
2 ribs of celery, cut into small dice
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish

6 ounces  vegetable stock or beer  (I use Sam Adams Lager...half a bottle for the beans and half for me!)

2 1/2 cups shredded Manchego or other sharp white cheese (Monterrey Jack, Cheddar)

8 small fresh corn tortillas (I use La Tortilla Factory Hand-made White Corn and Wheat Tortillas; available at Donelan's Market)

Sour Cream, for garnish

Method
Preheat oven to 375*F.
Lightly oil a 2 quart rectangular baking dish.

In a large high sided saute pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. 
Add onion, jalapeno pepper and celery and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. 
Reduce heat to medium low and add the spices, garlic and bay leaf. 
Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the flavors of the spices "bloom", be careful to not over-brown the garlic.
Add the beans, tomatoes, salsa verde, and stock/beer simmering over low heat for 30 minutes.
Remove 1 cup of beans in a heat safe container and set aside. 
Using an immersion hand blender, blend the bean mixture until smooth, or puree the bean mixture, 1/3 of a batch at a time in a standard blender and return to the saute pan.
Place 2/3 cup of the smooth bean mixture in the baking dish and coat the bottom.
Take the tortillas and one at a time immerse them in the bean mixture, coating them thickly.
Place each tortilla in the baking dish and sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla.
Fold the other half of the tortilla up over the cheese, creating a half circle.
Continuing this procedure,slightly overlapping the tortillas in two rows of four in the baking dish.
Lightly spread the remaining pureed mixture over the tortillas.
Top with the remaining reserved beans and cheese.
Bake in the over for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley, a dollop of  low fat sour cream and or remaining salsa verde.

Bon Appetit!