Pineapple Upside-down Pancakes

What a treat...this week, fresh pineapples are only 99 cents a piece at our local grocery store! I think we will start with this recipe and work our way through all our pineapple favorites!

Newman's first law...

"It is useless to put on your brakes when you are upside down."

~ Paul Newman

Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes

4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 large pineapple, peeled, sliced into eight 1/2" rounds…cored

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup almond milk

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

nonstick vegetable oil spray

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add the cinnamon…cook until butter begins to brown and your kitchen smells cinnamon-y and delicious... about 2 minutes.

Add in the pineapple slices, and cook until light golden brown,about 4 minutes per side.

Sprinkle in the brown sugar and cook a few more moments until the juices are thick and syrupy.

Transfer the pineapple to a plate to let cool.

Set the syrup aside for later.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Set a wire cookie rack on a baking sheet.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

Add the almond milk, egg, vanilla and remaining 2 tbsp butter and whisk until smooth.

Heat a griddle or large heavy skillet over medium heat.

Lightly coat with nonstick spray

Pour the batter by 1/4-cupfuls onto griddle.

After one minute, top each pancake with a pineapple ring.  

Continue cooking until the bottom is golden brown...about one more minute.

Flip…cook until pancake is golden brown...2 more minutes.

Place pancakes on prepared rack and bake in the  oven for 5 minutes. 

Serve with the scrumptious reserved pineapple/brown sugar syrup.

From: "Love Fest: Every Day Celebrations and Exclamation Point Meals For Those You Love and Cherish" by Mango Dragonfly

Available on Amazon.com

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Divinely Easy Hollandaise Sauce!

    Since 1593, Hollandaise sauce has been thought of as a rare and precious treat reserved for company or special occasions.  This recipe makes it ridiculously simple to change your same old, same old Tuesday night chicken into Wow.  While you are at it, make a double batch of hollandaise to have in the fridge ready to jazz up a piece of fish, chicken breast or steamed vegetables later in the week…add capers for “Sauce Aux Capres”…a dab of tomato puree for lovely rose colored “Sauce Choron" and some minced tarragon for a creamy, delicious Bearnaise sauce.

Divinely Easy Hollandaise Sauce

3 large egg yolks

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

salt

black pepper

Blend the egg yolks and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. 

With the motor running, slowly trickle in the melted butter in a very thin stream. 

Stop as soon as the sauce has emulsified.

 Poached Eggs on Artichoke Hearts with Hollandaise Sauce

~Acids help proteins coagulate, so adding either vinegar or lemon juice to egg poaching water helps the eggs keep it together…thank you Marc for this little trick.

 

4 eggs

1 tsp white vinegar

4 artichoke bottoms, canned

Hollandaise sauce…see below

Butter the bottom of a 2-quart heavy saucepan.

Add 2” of water.

Add vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Break eggs and gently slide into the water one at a time.

Keep water at barely a simmer until the whites are firm, about 2 minutes.

Put artichoke bottoms on a plate.

Using a slotted spoon, remove an egg from the water, dribble a second or two, then place on top of the artichoke heart.

Top with generous dollops of Hollandaise sauce.

From "Love fest" by Mango Dragonfly...available on Amazon.

www.mangodragonfly.com