Weekend Culinary Delights

We have eaten quite well this weekend, and so I thought everyone could share in our indulgences.

It began with the Blackberry Peach Buckle I made friday afternoon that we had for dessert that night. What is a "buckle" you ask? Well, I'm really not sure what separates it from cobblers and crisps, but its dang good. Its more like a cobbler with a cakier batter. However, opposed to the cobbler the fruit goes on top rather than on the bottom. I guess its more like a coffee cake. All you really need to know is it's an awesome summer dessert. Use your choice of summer fruit (berries or peaches or a combo work best I think).

Recipe below (courtesy of Martha Stewart Living Magazine):

1 stick of unsalted room temperature butter (plus more for the baking dish)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 and 3/4 cups of fruit (translates into 1 pints worth of berries (blue, black, raspberries...) OR a half a pint of berries and about 2-3 peaches chopped OR about 4-5 peaches chopped)

Garnish options: powdered sugar and/or whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 quart baking dish. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Slowly incorporate dry mixture into wet mixture with mixer on low speed.

Spread batter in baking dish. Scatter fruit on top. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center (about 45-50 minutes, longer if using peaches). Let cool for 20 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar or serving up with fresh whipped cream! YUM!




Next on the list is Saturday morning breakfast which was our Potluck Fritatta. Fritatta is what I think of as an egg pizza really. It's much faster to make than quiche and is more fun. You can really put anything you have in the fridge in this dish, as lots of things can go with eggs. We chose a variety of potates (including the intensely purple Peruvian Blue variety), sage, rosemary, onions, left over lamb-turkey burger, and feta and fresh parmesean cheese. It was really good. Our pictures may look slightly strange because of the purple potatoes, but it is SO good. We've made it before with spinach, cheddar, bacon, tomatoes, red peppers...you name it! (note - you must use a non-stick pan with a metal handle, as it will go in the oven). Recipe Below:

Ingredients
4-6 eggs
about 1/4 cup milk
1/2 onion
2 potatoes
a few T fresh sage and rosemary
sausage, grilled chicken, etc.
salt and pepper
grated cheese

1. Chop herbs, cube potatoes, and dice onions. 2. Beat eggs and milk, add salt and pepper as you would for scramled eggs.
3. Chop desired leftover meat (we were using some Middle Eastern lamb and turkey burgers we made earlier this week... that recipe may follow in the future).
4. Shred cheese.
5. Preheat oven to 425.
6. Brown potatoes, onions, and herbs in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. The potatoes cook faster and use less oil if you either use leftover baked potatoes or microwave them for a few minutes prior to using. If you are microwaving them, don't forget to prick them with a fork.
7. When the potatoes are nearly browned, add the leftover meat to heat.
8. Pour eggs over the potato mixture, lifting the sides of the eggs to help the mixture set underneath... as if you were making an omelette.
9. Once the edges are set (3-4 minutes), transfer the whole pan to the oven, and bake until it puffs up and the center is set.
10. Top with cheese, remove from pan, slice and serve.

Here's how we ate it: