Farmers Market Brunch

May 3, 2015 - Radio Kitchen -  Farmers Market Brunch

With spring firmly established here in Maryland, we're all eager to resume our trips to the market and check out the local produce.  To give your visits an extra sense of immediacy, we'd like to propose a challenge for you:   go shopping, come home and fix a delicious brunch for your family.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Schola Cooking School has plenty of ideas.

One Maryland ingredient that is actually plentiful right now is maple syrup, fresh from the vats in Western Maryland.  Here's a good way to use it.

                                                Farmers Market Brunch

                                        Chefs Amy von Lange & Jerry Pellegrino

                                                Maple Butter Twists

Ingredients

• ¼ cup warm water
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup butter
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 ¼ - 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 -4 teaspoons water
   

1. In a large bowl combine warm water and yeast; set aside for 5 minutes
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine milk, ¼ cup butter, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and salt.
3. Heat just until warm (120°F to 130°F) and butter almost melts. Add to yeast mixture along with eggs.
4. Beat in as much of the 3-1/4 to 3-1/2 cups flour as you can with a wooden spoon.
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that is smooth and elastic.
6.  Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of dough. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size, 1 to 1.5 hours.
7. For filling, in a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup softened butter, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon.
8. Stir in the pecans. Lightly grease two 8-inch round baking pans; set aside.
9. Punch dough down. Divide in half. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to a 14x8-inch rectangle.
10. Spread on half of the filling. Starting from a long end, roll up the dough and pinch edges to seal. Wrap the ends around to form a ring.
11. Place the ring, seam side down, in one of the prepared  pans. Using a small sharp knife, make 8 cuts around the edge of the dough at even intervals, cutting nearly all the way through to the center.
12. Turn each cut portion so the cut side faces up. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Cover and let rise 45 minutes or until nearly double.
13. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together powdered sugar and enough water to make a drizzling consistency.
14. Drizzle mixture over twists. Serve warm or cooled. Makes 16 rolls.

Ordinarily we fry up our pancakes in a skillet.  Well here's a variation that lets you concoct a jumbo sized flapjack in the oven.

                                    Finnish Baked Pancake

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (½ of one stick) butter, cut into three or four pieces
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  When the oven temperature reaches about 300°F, place an 8- or 9-inch cake pan or 10-inch pie plate in the oven with the butter in it. The butter should melt, but not brown, while the oven finishes heating.
2. Place the eggs, flour, milk, salt, sugar and vanilla in a blender.  Fix the cover in place and blend on high, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary, until the mixture is smooth and even. 
3. When the oven is fully heated, and the butter is fully melted, pull the oven rack out far enough to work safely and pour the batter into the hot pan. 
4. Push the rack carefully back into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the oven pancake has puffed quite high and is a deep golden brown. 
5. You can test the doneness by quickly inserting a butter knife in the center of the oven pancake.  If the knife comes out clean, the pancake is done.
6. Remove the pan from the oven, cut immediately (it will deflate some, so don’t worry!) and serve topped as desired.
7. Two of the first things you'll see in May are strawberries and fresh herbs.  Here's a great way to enjoy them.

                                        Strawberry Basil Compote

Ingredients

• 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chiffonade

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan except the basil, set over medium heat and allow to come to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer, with occasional stirring until the compote thickens, about 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Allow the compote to cool to room temperature. Stir in the basil and refrigerate.
4. Many Maryland livestock farmers are producing sausage as well as steaks for your enjoyment.  Here's a frittata type idea for utilizing fresh pork products.

                                                Lazy Morning Sausage Pie

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ½ pound of fresh peas
• 1 cup shredded cheese (we use sharp cheddar but you can use whatever you like)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup biscuit mix (see below)

1. In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium-high heat until meat is brown and onion is tender.
2. Drain sausage mixture on paper towels. Spoon sausage mixture into a greased 9-inch pie plate and add the peas.
3. Top with shredded cheese. In a small bowl, combine eggs and milk. In another small bowl place biscuit mix; gradually whisk egg mixture into biscuit mix until combined.
4. Slowly pour egg mixture over the cheese. Bake in a 400°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
5. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges and serve.

Now you may need a handful of biscuits to go along with all that goodness.  Here's an excellent basic biscuit recipe that goes with the Lazy Morning Sausage Pie.

                                                Biscuit Mix

Ingredients

• 1 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small pieces
   

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Using your fingertips, rub butter into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't want the butter to melt.) 
3. Finally, if you want to take advantage of asparagus, the Queen of the Spring, then here's a lovely idea.

                        Asparagus, Poached Egg and Hollandaise

For the Hollandaise

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
• Pinch cayenne
• Pinch salt

1. Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume.
2. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl.
3. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble.
4. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume.
5. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict.

If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.