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Cheesy Bacon German Pancake gets teen to mow lawn
The 16-year-old wanted something “salty and cheesy” for breakfast (this was right around noon on Sunday). I didn’t feel like plain old eggs and thought about a German pancake, but Nic wanted savory, not sweet.
What to do? What if we swap out the sliced apples for bacon, and use cheese instead of sugar for the melty, gooey bottom?
I started with a Cook’s Illustrated recipe, as I often do, and improvised from there:
In a medium bowl, combine a heaping half-cup flour with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, beat 3 large eggs, ¾ cup whole milk, salt and pepper.
Put the oven rack on the upper-middle level and preheat to 500 degrees.
Fry bacon in an ovenproof skillet. When bacon is starting to crisp up, add whatever cheesy stuff you have in the fridge. I used some leftover queso dip and shredded “Mexican” blend (teenage boys love that stuff).
Pour batter over bacon in skillet and place in oven. Lower heat to 425 degrees. Bake until pancake is puffed and golden, about 15-20 minutes.
You could serve it with salsa or hollandaise or sprinkled with powdered sugar.
So did the kid like it? Well, he mowed the lawn and did his algebra homework, so, yeah.
Story and photo by Kristen Browning-Blas, blogs.denverpost.com/food
French cooking in the Black Hills
One of my favorite interviews was with when her memoir, “On Rue Tatin,” came out in 2001. (I can’t believe it was 11 years ago!)
Our conversation over tea at the Brown Palace was a wide-ranging, soul-satisfying discussion of the book, cooking, family and life choices. Part memoir, part cookbook and part travelogue, “On Rue Tatin” speaks in a personable, earthy tone that says “taste this.”
The book covers the renovation of a tumble-down former convent in Normandy, as well as Susan’s exploration of the food, customs and characters of their small town. Back then, she was just getting started with her cooking school, which has been operating for a decade now. She has since written numerous cookbooks, including “Nuts in the Kitchen” and “The French Farmhouse Cookbook.”
If you can’t make it to Normandy, Susan is bringing northern France to South Dakota, of all places, for at the .
The four-day class, July 16-19, is $1,300 and includes lodging, four hands-on classes, six meals, tastings, demonstrations, and outings.
The six-day class, July 16-21, is $1,900 and includes lodging, six hands-on classes, eight meals, tastings, demonstrations, excursions and “a few surprises.”
Kristen Browning-Blas, blogs.denverpost.com/food
