Enjoy these beautiful and delicious desserts this Thanksgiving

Pear Upside-Down Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided, plus more
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons coarse yellow cornmeal or polenta
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2 medium pears (about 1 pound)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• Whipped cream or caramel gelato (optional)

PREPARATION

View Step-by-Step Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°. Butter pan; line bottom with a parchment-paper round. Whisk four, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Stir 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high. Boil syrup without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until sugar turns dark amber, 8–10 minutes. Remove pan from heat; add 1 tablespoon butter (caramel will bubble vigorously) and whisk until smooth. Pour caramel into prepared cake pan and swirl to coat bottom.
• Peel, halve, and core the pears. Place flat on a work surface and cut lengthwise into 1/8″-thick slices. Layer slices over caramel, flat side down, overlapping as needed.
• Mix remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 8 tablespoon butter, and vanilla in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occassionally scraping bowl. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Using clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites on low speed in a medium bowl until frothy. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat until whites form soft peaks. Fold about 1/4 of the whites into cake batter. Add in remaining whites; gently fold just to blend. Pour batter over pears in pan; smooth top.
• Bake cake, rotating pan halfway through, until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few small moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around the inside of pan to release cake. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
• Invert cake onto a plate; remove parchment paper. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or caramel gelato, if desired.

Cranberry Spice Cake with Citrus-Cranberry Compote

Our sister company’s latest blog post is out today! Check out this beautiful rustic plum tart.

Here is the link to the blog for the recipe!

http://austinveggiechef.com/2014/07/avc-bakes-rustic-plum-tart/

Well, technically it’s not summer yet. Luckily for us Texans we are already seeing beautiful summer produce popping up! One of the most efficient ways to eat well and stay within your budget is to eat seasonally. Now a days you can find these summer favorites year round, but trust me, they taste SO much better in the summer!

Strawberries

Strawberries are so versatile. You’ve tried the pie, dipped them in chocolate, and pop them in as a snack, but have you tried them like this?

• Strawberry and Walnut Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinegarette
• Strawberry and Tomato Salad with Cilantro, Lime and Serrano
• Strawberry, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Open Faced Sandwiches

Tomatoes

Ripe and juicy tomatoes are the ultimate sign of summer. Just make sure you don’t refrigerate them. Refrigerating them can cause the tomato to stop the ripening process, leaving your tomato soft and mealy. Here are some great ideas that enhance the tomato instead of masking its sweet and hearty flavors.

• Southern Tomato Pie with Ricotta and Parmesan Topping
• Baked Egg Stuffed Tomatoes with Basil
• Roasted Cherry Tomato Salad with Feta and Kalamata Olives

Summer Squash

Summer Squash is so versatile, comes in many beautiful colors and shapes. Unlike Winter squash the rind is edible so you can reap all of its nutritional benefits! Also, since they are significantly lighter you can really stock up at the grocery store or farmer’s market for less. Try some of these great ideas next time they go on sale.

• Grilled Summer Squash with Herbed Butter
• Cold Yellow Summer Squash Soup
• Zucchini and Potato Quiche

I hope you are as excited for summer as I am. Now, its time to go to your farmer’s market or local grocery store, get cooking and your taste buds begging for more!

We all know breakfast’s renown as the most important meal of the day, but as of late it’s come to light that loading up on pancakes, fruit, breakfast cereal, toast and granola may not be such a smart idea.   Every whole food philosophy, from Macrobiotics to Paleo, recommends we replace sugar and refined carbohydrates in our diet with more nutritious dishes rich in protein, vegetables, good quality fats, and whole grains.  It’s a sacrifice made worth it for better health and well-being, but it also challenges our perception of what a meal consists of, especially breakfast.  With that in mind, here’s a breakfast idea that is quick and satisfying- Veggie Hash.  This dish can be made ahead in bulk, and then re-warmed each morning in a skillet.

Veggie Breakfast Hash
1 onion
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 turnip or rutabaga
or a combo of vegetables of your choice, ex- sunchoke, beets, winter squash, parsnip
your favorite high heat cooking oil (I like bacon grease or ghee, but sunflower or coconut oil is great too)
salt & pepper

Start by preheating your oven to 400 and pulling out a large cutting board, a sharp chopping knife, a large bowl, two baking sheets or pyrexes, and a vegetable peeler.

Wash all your veggies and peel the ones you desire to be peeled.  In some cases I’ll wash and scrub certain veggies really well rather than peel them, for that extra fiber, but go with whatever you prefer!

Settle in to your cutting board and begin dicing all your vegetables.  Try to chop them to more or less uniform sized pieces so that they will cook at the same rate.  Remember that the smaller the pieces the faster they will cook.  Throw your chopped veggies in the large bowl.

Toss the chopped veggies with the oil, salt and pepper, and spread evenly on the baking pans, not too deep.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until fork tender and slightly browned.

These are especially good reheated in a skillet in the morning and topped with a fried egg and some saurkraut, or mixed with sausage, ground turkey, or bacon, yum!