Flavours of Morocco

I am so excited this month to be hosting Simply.Food's Flavours of...Series.  This is a long running event on her blog.  After doing the different regions of India, she went worldwide and the Flavours of Series has covered countries throughout Southeast Asia and Europe and now we move on to Africa.  I am honored to be opening up the foray into the diverse cuisine of African countries.

Tagine - courtesy of larache-morocco.blogspot.com

We are now on our culinary journey to Morocco in the “Flavors of Series 3 around Africa” by simply.food

Morocco is a unique country.  Although geographically located on the continent of Africa, their cuisine is very similar to Middle Eastern cuisine, with hummus, dates, figs, and olives important aspects of the cuisine, however Moroccan cuisine is spicier.  Their national dish is Tagine.  Tagine is both a dish and a cooking vessel.  Although traditionally cooked in this vessel, I cook tagines in my regular pot at home.  Tagine can be any combination of meat and/or vegetables, slow cooked with dried fruit, nuts, preserved lemons and olives.  Lentils and other legumes also feature in their cuisine, as does the spice blend Raz al Hanout. Raz al Hanout will generally include about a dozen different spices.  While the exact recipe for this spice blend can vary, some spices that are always included are:

• cardamom
• cinnamon
• clove
• dried chile peppers
• cumin
• nutmeg
• coriander
• turmeric

I love using Raz al Hanout when making spiced nuts, as in my recipe here.  Couscous is the primary grain eaten in Morocco.   If you need some inspiration to start your exploration into this cuisine, check here for some recipes (including a Ras el Hanout recipe) and for all vegetarian Moroccan recipes, here's another link.

Now, let's visit the rules for the event..

• Multiple entries and Achived entries allowed if reposted
• Entries must Include link back  to simply.food & this announcement
• Both veg and non-veg entries will be accepted, however since simply.food is a veg. blog, I strongly encourage you to come up with some delicious vegetarian Moroccan food
• Submit recipes by using the Linky Tool below
• Non bloggers can participate by emailing image and recipe.

Send entries in this format to …( islandpalate(at)gmail(dot)com)

Please put Flavors of Morocco  in Subject line

Name-

Blog Name-

Post Name-

Post URL-

Include Image no larger than 300 pixels.

Although use of logo is not mandatory, using it helps to spread the word!!!

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Nutella Peach Cookies

Nutella Peach Cookies

In these cookies, I used peach puree since I had some from when I went peach picking, but any fruit puree can be used like mango or applesauce.  This yield a slight fruity taste and lighter cookie.

Sorry for no step by step photos today...had a few memory card isssues :(

Nutella Peach Cookies

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup peach puree (1-2 peaches peeled, pitted and pureed in blender)
1/2 cup Nutella
1 egg (you can also add another 1/4 cup of peach puree if you would prefer to omit the use of egg)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using an electric mixer, blend butter, both sugars, peach puree, Nutella, egg and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
Sift all the other dry ingredients into a bowl.  Add this to the wet mix and mix until well combined.
Shape into one big fat log or 2 smaller logs and wrap in plastic wrap.
Put in refrigerator overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
On a lightly floured board, place unwrapped log and cut into thin slices.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Let the cookies set for 5 minutes before removing them.

My one big log yielded these yummy cookies that go perfect with a glass of milk.  The peach flavor is gentle, in the background but adds a lightness to the cookies, both in texture and taste.

...linking to Srivalli's Cookie Mela, Taste of the Tropics & Bake Fest hosted by Pradnya

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Buttermilk Scallion & Cheddar Buns

This was my first attempt making burger buns.  While the flavor was amazing, they were a little large and a little on the dense side.   It would have been better if I had used an extra package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of yeast.

Even though they are dense, I still decided to post the recipe because they work great for open faced sandwiches.  Their density make them able to carry a lot of toppings without the bun getting soggy.  Just split them and use only one side as the base for the sandwich, as I did here for this Chicken-Zucchini Open Faced Sandwich (recipe will be posted tomorrow).

Chicken-Zucchini  Fig Open Faced Sandwich

Buttermilk Scallion & Cheddar Hamburger Buns
(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, beaten
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg white


In a saucepan, heat butter, water and buttermilk to 120-130 F.
In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt.
Add buttermilk combo to flour and mix until well moistened.  Add egg, scallion and cheese and mix well.
Add 1 cup of the flour and mix well.  Start mixing by hand, adding 1/2 cup of flour at a time until the dough comes together and leaves the side of the bowl.
Turn onto a floured surface and knead for about 5-8 minutes until you have a soft dough that is smooth and elastic, adding as much additional flour as necessary.
Place in a greased bowl.  Let rest for 1 hour.  It's not going to double in size, but it will expand a little.
Divide dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into smooth balls.  (I only made 5, but after it rested a little more and was put in the oven, mine were a little on the large side.)  Place a few inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Cover and let rise about 20 minutes..
Preheat oven to 400 F.
       I meant to do the following 2 steps, but forgot:

• Combine egg white with 1 tablespoon water and whisk together.
• Brush the tops of the buns with this egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on side.

Bake for 20 minutes.


I will be making another attempt soon, which I am sure will be light and fluffy now that I know what to alter in this recipe.

This recipe is being served at Let's Cook Breads & Yeastspotting

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Flaxseed & Peruvian Blue Corn Crackers

Last month, I signed up for both the Daring Cooks & the Daring Bakers challange.  Although I now have completed two months of the Daring Cooks with Pumpkin Canneloni &  Thai Salmon en Pappillote, last month's baking challenge was quite labor intensive and I just didn't have the time to tackle baking a Battenberg .  It is in my drafts and I do plan to complete it someday just to say I've completed the challenge, but this month's Baking Challenge is much easier.

 Our July 2012 Daring Bakers’ Host was Dana McFarland and she challenged us to make homemade crackers! Dana showed us some techniques for making crackers and encouraged to use our creativity to make each cracker our own by using ingredients we love.


Crackers is something I have been wanting to do for a long time.  As I've come across many different crackers recipes when viewing other blogs and realized how easy it is, I had decided many months ago to come up with a cracker recipe.

Salt & Pepper Flaxseed Crackers
with Bean & Fruit Salad

My favorite brand of crackers are Carr's water crackers and it was on my shopping list when I viewed this month's Baker's Challenge and then it went off the shopping list as I made these delicious crackers that serve as a perfect complement to soup or salad or even a fruit & cheese plate.

I have been trying to add flaxseed in my diet whenever possible.  It has many health benefits, so I added some to the cracker recipe.

Salt & Pepper Flaxseed Crackers

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
1 egg white
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Grease a cookie sheet.
Using a coffee/spice grinder, grind the flax seeds well.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add flour, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Add olive oil and water and mix together until you have a soft dough.
Transfer dough to the prepared cookie sheet.  Using your finger tips, press down and push dough out, until the dough has spread enough to cover entire cookie sheet.
Using a round biscuit cutter, press down to create circle shaped biscuits, essentially scoring the dough.

Using a fork, prick the dough so prevent air bubbles (I forgot to do this.)
Mix egg white with 1 tablespoon water and brush on top.  Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
Bake for 10 minutes.  Rotate cookie sheet and bake for another 10 minutes.  Let cool.
Carefully break cracker pieces around the round shaped crackers.

You will have some excess pieces, while not aesthetically attractive, they are still yummy to gobble up, although I would not use it for presentation to guests.

Per the challenge guidelines, we had to use a different method for the second cracker. I don't have a pasta machine roller, so I tried the refrigerator method with a gluten free recipe.  I also omitted the baking powder as  saw some recipes did not include this ingredients.  This was a bust.  They were not able to be sliced thin enough and the dough kept breaking apart.

Since the icebox method did not work for me, this time I did the cutout method.  I had attempted the cutout method with the dough above but that dough was too soft.  This time with a firmer dough, I was able to do cutouts before baking which eliminated the excess pieces I had in recipe above.

Peruvian Blue Corn Crackers

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 cup blue/purple corn flour
1 cup white corn flour
2 tablespoon aji amarillo pepper paste (or your favorite Peruvian pepper paste like Rocoto can also be substituted)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup warm water
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 egg white

In a large bowl, combine flours, salt, baking powder and oregano.  Mix well.
Add pepper paste, olive oil and water and mix well until dough comes together.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 F.  Grease a cookie sheet.
On a floured surface, roll out dough as thin as you can without the dough breaking.
Using cookie cutters or biscuit cutters, cut out shapes of cracker dough and place on cookie sheet.
Using a fork, prick crackers to prevent air bubbles.
Mix egg white with 1 tablespoon of water and brush crackers.

Bake for 5 minutes.  Rotate cookie sheet and bake for another 5 minutes.

These spicy crackers go well with this fresh Peach & Tomato Salad.

....linking to Bake Fest hosted by Pradnya

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Stuffed Roly Poly & Cousa

Roly Poly on left, Cousa on right

Blogging Marathon #18
Theme: Assorted - Stuffed Foods

This month, I feel really proud of my BM recipes, having tried a lot of new recipes and techniques I have not done in the past.  I thank you for all your words of encouragement and support as I take this culinary journey of self improvement.

The summertime is my favorite time to go food shopping at my local food coop. Varietal fruits and summer squash come out in abundance.  Patty Pan, Roly Poly and Cousa are all options to vary your diet.  I love roasting the patty pan whole, with a little garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs.  That way they keep their shape, which look great for presentation.  Cousa is so mild and tender it can be eaten raw, so I throw these into salads.  Finally, the roly poly is what I will be using in today's Middle Eastern inspired recipe and the cousa also, only because I had leftover filling.  This filling can also be eaten as a side salad on its own.

Try your local Farmer's Market to find these squash.  Of course if you cannot, you can always substitute zucchini or other summer squash.

Roly Poly, Patty Pan, Cousa

Stuffed Summer Squash

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
3 roly poly squash
3 cousa squash
4 oz. halloumi, chopped
2 fresh figs, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons Baharat (you can substitute your favorite spice mix here - Raz al Hanout is also a good option)
2 tablespoons Manchego, grated (freshly grated Parmesan can also be substituted)

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cut off the tops of the roly poly and scoop out the insides.  Save the insides to add to the stuffing.
Split cousa lengthwise and scoop out insides.  Discard insides.
In a dry pan, fry halloumi until browned on all sides.  Transfer to a large bowl.
Add tomato and fig to the halloumi.  Chop insides of roly poly that you saved and add to the bowl.
In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sugar and Baharat.  Mix well and add olive oil.  Whisk again and add to large bowl.  Mix again.
In a casserole dish, place water 1/2 way up the height of the squash. Fill squash and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake cousa for 25 minutes and roly poly for 45 minutes.
Top with grated cheese and put in oven another 3 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Stuffed Cousa

You can serve the Roly Poly whole or you can cut in half.  Wait a few minutes to cool down before cutting in half, to keep filling intact.

Stuffed Roly Poly

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#18

Other stuffed foods you may have missed this month:

Kajji Kayalu

Vietnamese Bok Choy Wontons

Mava Samosa

Stuffed Coconut Bread

...linking to Let's Party Bake It & Vardhini's Bake Fest, hosted by Pradnya
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Stuffed Coconut Bread

Blogging Marathon #18
Theme: Assorted - Stuffed Foods


Today's recipe is another that falls into the category of Stuffed Foods, which was my selected theme for Week 1.

Every time I visit Chinatown, I always stop at one of the bakeries to pick up one of their Coconut-Raisin Breads.  This is a Sweet Raisin Bread, with a Coconut filling inside and I love it.  This is my attempt at making a healthier variation of this yummy sweet bread, using whole wheat flour.

I've recently started reading about the Chinese Water Roux method of making bread, which promises a softer and fluffier bread than traditional bread baking methods.  Since this is my attempt at one of the Chinese breads I purchase in Chinatown, I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to test the method.  This method called Tangzhong actually was invented by the Japanese, but has been adopted extensively in Chinese bread baking also.

The water roux can be prepared 1-3 days in advance.  From what I have read after 3 days, it will start to go rancid.  If it turns grey, then you know it is bad and discard it.  I used it immediately, however if you are going to refrigerate it, bring it back to room temperature before you use it in the bread recipe.

Water Roux
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup water

Dissolve flour in water until there are no lumps.  Put on low heat and simmer until the mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 2-3  minutes.  Immediately transfer to a glass bowl or container and cover with plastic wrap.  Let cool to room temperature before using or refrigerating.

Stuffed Coconut Bread

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup coconut milk powder
2 cups whole wheat bread flour
1 3/4 cup white bread flour
1 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, beaten
water roux (see above)
1 cup water
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup coconut, grated (freshly grated coconut is best but if you are too lazy as I am, I used frozen grated coconut, defrosted)
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup pistacchios
2 tablespoons milk

Grind flax seeds and combine with millet flour, milk powder, salt, sugar, yeast and whole wheat flour.  Add egg, butter and water roux.  Mix until dough leaves the side of the bowl.
Add 1 cup of warm water and the white bread flour.  Knead for about 5 minutes.  Dough is not as elastic as other bread baking methods.
Place in a greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hours, until doubled in size.
In a bowl, mix the coconut, brown sugar and raisins.
Grease a muffin tin and a loaf pan.
Punch down air bubbles from dough and with half of the dough, we will make rolls.
On a floured board, knead the dough for a couple of minutes and then grab a golf ball sized piece of dough.  Flatten in between your hands and stretch a little.  Put a tablespoon of the filling inside and then fold over and seal well.  Place in muffin tin.

With the other half of the dough, roll into a large rectangle and spread the rest of the filling on top, adding the pistacchios.  Roll up and place seam side down in loaf pan.

Cover rolls in muffin tin and loaf pan and let rise another 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle a little sugar on top.
Bake for 25 minutes.

Usually wheat breads can be dense, but these were incredibly soft and fluffy.  I do agree that this water roux method yields a softer bread.

This makes a delicious sweet bread with coffee or tea.

 Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#18


...linking to Yeastspotting, Vardhini's Bake Fest hosted by Pradnya , Love Lock Series hosted by Divya & Let's Cook...Breads

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Peach & Walnut Pulao

Blogging Marathon #18
Theme: Assorted - Indian Biryanis/Pulao

For the last week of this month's BM, I am doing the assorted theme, doing recipes from different BM themes.  Today's recipe falls into the theme of Indian Biryanis/Pulao.  This is another recipe from Julie Sahni's Indian Regional Classics .  This is a classic Moghul recipe.  The Moghul empire was a Muslim reign descended from Genghis Khan that ruled India from the 16th century through the 19th century, until the British Raj took control over the South Asian sub-continent.  The Mughul empire is probably most known worldwide for its building of the Taj Mahal by the 5th emperor, Shah Jahan.

I actually made this recipe a few weeks ago and then ironically, I was channel hopping one evening and came across a PBS Series - The History of India.  The episode they were showing focused on the Moghul empire - it's rise and decline.  Here's some additional information I learned during the last 15 minutes I caught of the episode.  The vision and moderate thinking of most of their leaders led to the incredibly diverse, multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-lingual society that India is today.  What helped lead to the Moghul decline was hard lined Islamic factions within the ruling family who wanted to take a more conservative Islamic approach to ruling Hindus and Muslims alike in India.  Reading about the Moghuls is very interesting from a social and cultural perspective and I do recommend getting a good book about it, if you'd like to learn more.

Now off to a visit of Moghul cuisine...

I altered the methodology a bit to simplify the rice making process, but the flavorings were kept the same.

Khoobani Pulao

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
3 cups peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
salt, to taste
1 tablespoons ghee
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Soak rice for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.  Drain.  Since I used brown Basmati rice, which has a longer cooking time, I soaked the rice for the full 2 hours.
To easily peel the peaches, bring a pot of water to boiling and drop in peaches.  Boil for exactly 2 minutes.  Remove.  As soon as they are cool enough to handle, skin will come right off.
In a food processor, combine 1 cup of the peaches and 1 cup water.  Process until the fruit is completely liquefied.  Add enough water to make 3 cups, along with the fennel, ginger and nutmeg. (I added an extra 1/3 cup of water since I was using brown rice.  I had 1 2/3 cup of peach juice and added 1 2/3 cup water)  Mix well.
Transfer the peach juice liquid to a large pot and bring to the boil.

Add rice and salt, to taste.  Reduce to a simmer and cook, until rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed; about 40 minutes.  Since there is sugar from the peaches, this pulao is not as grainy as most rice dishes.  It sticks together more.
Heat the ghee in a large skillet.  Add the nuts and fry for 1 minute.  Add the fruit and cook until the fruit  is warmed through and glazed, about 2 minutes.

Peach Walnut Compote

Serve rice with the compote.  The rice on its own is spiced mildly and really isn't anything special, but when you eat it in your mouth with the compote the spices come alive.  All of a sudden, you can really taste the nutmeg, ginger and fennel - the flavors come alive.

Ms. Sahni suggested having this with Tandoori or her Malabar Coconut Shrimp recipe from the same book, but I had it with some Kath Katha and it was delicious.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#18

...linking to Jacqueline's Bookmarked Recipes, launched by Ruth, 





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Summer Peach & Tomato Chopped Salad

When you have really fresh produce, it does not take much to make delicious food.  Spices and gourmet ingredients become unnecessary.  This is a simple salad with a simple dressing, but this salad was so tasty and delicious with juicy, sweet farm fresh tomatoes and peaches.

It's summertime where big, fat juicy tomatoes and peaches are in abundance.  After coming back from my farm visit with fresh peaches and Jersey tomatoes, I created this bright summer salad that helps beat the heat.

On my commute back to NY from visiting the Jersey farm, some of my peaches got bruised in transport.  With these bruised peaches, I peeled and pitted them and pureed them in the blender.  This is going to be my base for smoothies this week and I used a few tablespoons to make the dressing for this bright summer salad.

Peach & Tomato Salad

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
6 yellow/orange plum tomatoes, chopped
2 red plum tomatoes, chopped
4 peaches, chopped
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, chopped
4 tablespoons peach puree
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Combine tomatoes, peaches and mozzarella and mix in a bowl.
In another small bowl, combine peach puree, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Whisk together.  While continuing to whisk, slowly incorporate olive oil, a little at a time.
Add dressing to fruit and cheese and toss well.

Sweet and bright, this salad hits the spot on a hot summer evening!

linking to Let's Make Salads and Salad Splendour




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Peach Upside Down Polenta Cake

In the summer and fall, I try to go to a local farm at least once to pick fresh produce.  First of all, it is a fun activity, especially for the kids, and you come home with the tastiest produce that you can ever get at any market.  With my friend and her kids, we went out to New Jersey this weekend and peaches were in abundance, along with the tail season of blueberries and blackberries. Usually I go earlier in the summer and only get berries.  This was the first time I went in the middle of peach season.  These were truly the juiciest and tastiest peaches I have ever had.

Fresh Farm Picked Peaches

This year I tried a new farm and this has been my best visit yet.  I think my search has ended for the perfect U-Pick farm that is reasonably convenient to public transportation.  Alstede Farms is a 2 hour train ride on NJ Transit from Penn Station and then a $10 cab ride.  It has lots of activities for kids including hay rides, pony rides, corn seed box (they play in this - think sandbox but it has corn seed instead - this had my friend's kids entertained for a solid hour), a bouncy tent and more.  The extra activities are reasonably priced - all at $3.  I have visited other local farms that charge as much as $10 for pony rides.

Alstede Farms

It is a very large farm with lots of produce.  Now is the tail end of berry season, peach season is in full swing and the beginning of apple season.  They have a market that you can visit after your picking for farm fresh produce like zucchini, lettuce, cabbage, beets, onions and tomatoes.  Super creamy ice cream in seasonal flavors like peach and blueberry were also available.  I had the blueberry. It was so rich, creamy and delicious.

My friend tends to go a little crazy and we came home with bags and bags of peaches and since I am the chef and blogger, I am expected to put all of them to good use by the time her and her kids leave my house at the end of the weekend.  When I started getting tired, she says "Well don't you need it for the blog?  NO...my readers are going to get sick of peach recipes I tell her and she responds - Who can get sick of peaches?"  Needless to say, the peach recipes are going to be in full swing on this blog for the next several weeks.  Just a few days ago, I had stumbled along this recipe and planned to try it soon, so when I realized it was peach season at Alstede, this was the first recipe that came into my mind to try.

Based on a Martha Stewart recipe found here at the Cake Duchess, with a few minor alterations, try this cake and you won't be disappointed.

Peach Upside Down Cake

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
3 peaches, cut into large wedges
1 cup instant polenta
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon dried rose, crushed in a coffee/spice grinder
1 stick unsalted butter, softened + 3 tablespoons
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vanilla sugar (This is one of my stock pantry items.  In a food processor, combine 4 cups sugar with 2 vanilla beans that have been split and scraped and process well until all the vanilla pieces and scrapings are quite fine.)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup minus 2 tablespoons evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a bowl, combine polenta, flour, baking powder, salt and rose. Mix to combine.
In a mixer, cream butter and 1 cup of the sugar together.  Add eggs one a time, mixing well after each egg.  Add vanilla and milk.
Add polenta mix in two additions.
In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter.  Using a pastry brush, brush the butter up the sides of the pan and around to coat well.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar evenly on top and when the sugar starts to bubble, arrange peach slices on top starting on the outside into a cylindrical pattern.
Lower flame to medium low and cook for 10 minutes, until peaches soften.
Place batter on top and spread evenly.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes.
Invert onto a plate, tapping the bottom of the skillet before removing it.

Just like American skillet cornbread, this is basically an upside down cornbread, however with slight floral undertones and the use of the vanilla sugar brings it to another level.  I really like this cake a lot because it is not overly sweet and my friend's kids loved it.

...this delicious cake is being served at  Vardhini's Bake Fest hosted by Pradnya  & Let's Party

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Strawberry-Fennel Orzo Salad

Before I get to today's recipe, this poem has nothing to do with cooking, but my Mom sent it to me a few days ago and is very insightful and just wanted to share:

This recipe has a lot of components that marry into a healthy, complex flavored salad with variety.

Strawberry-Fennel Orzo Salad

(click here for printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, preferably using a mandolin (reserve a little of the fennel fronds)
2 small golden beets, about 3/4 lb.
6 pitted dates, quartered
6 strawberries, hulled and chopped
6 strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 cup orzo, cooked al dente
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 1/2 teaspoons + 2 teaspoon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fennel fronds, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

In a skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil.  Add garlic and fry for 30 seconds.  Add spinach leaves and saute until wilted.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Peel beets.  Boil until tender.  Chop.
To make dressing, puree chopped strawberries and balsamic vinegar in a food processor.  Drizzle in olive oil while processor is running.
In a large bowl, combine cooked orzo, spinach, quartered strawberries, dates, fennel and beets.  Add salt, cilantro, fennel fronds and pepper to taste and mix well.  Add dressing and toss well.

Serve with crackers or toasted bread brushed with olive oil.

...linking to Let's Make Salads & Divya's Fun in the Sun

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Chef Mireille
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