blueberry and nectarine pannekoeken
for those of you who know me you probably already know that i love food. not only do I love love love to eat food, but i also love to try new foods, i get excited about dissecting new flavors and identifying different ingredients. i savor the moments when you have that first bite of something that is so out-of-this-world-delicious that you can't help rolling the flavors around in your mouth, closing your eyes and allowing those first few seconds of bliss to invade your senses and take you over.along with loving to eat and try new and interesting foods, i also pride myself a bit in the kitchen. i enjoy experimenting with new ingredients and flavors. historically i haven't been much of a recipe girl, getting most of my food making abilities from my mom and my grandma and allowing most of my cooking decisions to be purely guided by taste, preference, availability of seasonal ingredients, and a bit of instinct.i get excited for opportunities to entertain or to celebrate an occasion because that usually means that i also get to try out a new concoction and "test it out" on my family and friends. sometimes the dishes are a success.....sometimes not so much, but to me that's all part of the fun and part of the creation process.last weekend, i had such an opportunity to try out some new dishes on my cousin heidi when she graced my home with her presence to celebrate her birthday. we decided on brunch, a meal that i absolutely adore because of it's versatility. you can serve breakfast or lunch....what's not to love. you can also serve coffee or juice or cocktails. not bad either. and i'm a girl who loves choices.for heidi's brunch i decided to serve a simple hash made with baby red potatoes and (super sweet) baby carrots from the pine city farmers market which my mom had picked up before visiting us earlier that week, kielbasa sausage, red onion, and garlic, topped with over easy eg
gs and hollandaise sauce. we do hash a lot in our house because it is simple and easy to throw ingredients you have on hand together to make a complete meal.i also tried out a new pannekoeken topped with blueberries and nectarines. i have to say, i was very pleased with how it turned out. growing up in a predominantly dutch family puts some pressure on to have pretty top notch pancake making skills. i had many times made "dutch pancakes" similar to a french crepe, but had not before ventured into the world of the pannekoeken. it was surprisingly simple to put together, beautiful and delicious. what i love about this dish is that, while i served it with fruit, it would be pretty easy to make this a savory dish (skip the vanilla) and serve it with diced meats, cheeses or veggies...or all of the above. :) my only regret about the process of making this dish is that i didn't take more pictures, because it was beautiful!!
pannekoeken with blueberries and nectarinesingredients.2 tbs butter6 eggs1/2 c milk (i used almond milk)1 tsp vanilla1/2 c flour1 tbs sugar (i use raw sugar)1 tsp salt1/2 c blueberries1/4 c diced nectarinesconfectioners sugardirections.heat oven to 400 degrees. place butter in 10 inch skillet and allow to melt in the oven as oven is heating. whisk together eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. wait for the oven to come to temperature and for the butter to melt, then pour the egg mixture into the skillet (batter should sizzle a bit, bonus points if your butter is a little brown, this adds a really nice caramel flavor to the pannekoeken). scatter half of the blueberries into the batter and place the skillet in back in the oven. allow to bake for 15-20 minutes until the pannekoeken is brown, puffy and set in the middle. serve hot and top with remaining berries, nectarines and a sprinkle of confectioners sugar.