Today’s recipe from Around My French Table is Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake. While this was quite the simple recipe to make, I wasn’t 100% pleased with the outcome. I did everything exactly as the recipe instructed, but this turned out more like a bread pudding than any sort of “cake”.

Don’t get me wrong, the flavor was nice as it used rum and vanilla with the apples, and it smelled so good as it baked. I was really excited to try it, but it just didn’t do it for me. I’m not a fan of bread puddings so I wouldn’t jump to make this again for myself. It would probably been nice with a little rum spiked whipped cream!

I felt like it was so wet that it just would not cook completely, especially the bottom. It was soggy. I’m thinking of cutting it into pieces to cook in a hot skillet for breakfast tomorrow. Making a sort of apple pancake thing. My husband would be happy with that!

Either way, I’m glad I tried this. Maybe I’ll attempt again sometime, but with fewer apples. The batter didn’t cover my apples at all like they were supposed to. Although, I still think this is a lovely looking cake, don’t you?

Starting today, Foodie Fridays will be replaced by French Fridays with Dorie. I’ll be cooking through Around My French Table along with many others. Hope you enjoy this detour as I learn more about french cooking.

Today’s recipe was Gougères. This was such a simple, satisfying thing to make. My batch yielded 44 servings, not the 36 mentioned in the book. I baked a dozen, froze the rest. Did I mention I ate three before I even started writing this post? This will become a staple entertaining food for me since you can bake them from frozen. What a nice little treat for guests to have a warm, golden cheesy nugget like this!

This time I used gruyere, but I will try cheddar next. I’d also love to add a little spice to them and play with different flavors. Great recipe. Turned out perfectly. Can’t wait for next week’s recipe!

Enjoy your weekend! Eat something yummy.

Finally! I’ve been dying to try the MIHO Gastrotruck since we moved to San Diego. Last Friday afternoon my friend and I tracked them down in our old ‘72 VW Superbeetle in hopes of having a super yummy lunch.

We saw the line for food before we saw the truck! Hopes are rising high. Can’t wait to try the Fig & Goat Cheese Tart. Mmm… My mouth is watering.

What’s this? Already sold out only an hour into service!? My heart sinks. Thankfully, there were plenty of other things on the menu I wanted to try. And all proved to be quite tasty and worth the 20 minute drive to find these guys.

First we had a Fried Okra Salad. Local okra, local arugula, local tomato, red onion, house pickled local green beans, buttermilk dressing. Full $6.95 Half $3.95.

Then we dove into the Oaxacan Quesadilla. Local flour tortilla, queso Oaxaca, grilled local peppers, roasted local tomato salsa. $6.25

Last, we thoroughly enjoyed the Tacos de Pescado. Local rock cod, local cabbage, crema fresca, pico de gallo and local corn tortilla. $6.75

All of our dishes were very fresh tasting and definitely worth coming back for more. I felt the prices were quite fair for being so fresh, homemade and local. Their menu changes weekly based on what’s available at the markets. How cool is that? You never know what you’ll be able to try the next week!

One of the owners told us that soon there will be a permanent weekly location in the East Village in downtown San Diego… only a handful of blocks from where I live! I could not be happier about this little bit of information.

If you are anywhere near the MIHO Gastrotruck you must try it, and if you want to find out where they are just follow them on Facebook or Twitter. I am officially a HOMI! YAY!

Baked in Brooklyn is one of those New York bakeries I’ve been dying to get to. Unfortunately, I haven’t made it there yet, and now that we have relocated to the Left Coast, who knows when I’ll get to go back to the Big Apple!

Yesterday, I was surprised by mail-order Baked brownies not because of the knock at the door where this box of chocolatey goodness was waiting for me, but because I happened to look at our bank account that morning where I saw the purchase my husband had made. I tried to keep this from him, but failed miserably. He’s very good at seeing through my ridiculous attempts at being deceptive.

Either way, it was such a wonderful surprise! This particular Sweet & Salty brownie has been featured on  The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Salty Goodness on the Food Network. Ready for my review of this “famous” brownie?

While the name suggests it’s a mixture of salty and sweet, I found that it was mostly sweet and rich. It was a good brownie. I also realized these weren’t fresh out of the Baked ovens so I expected them to not be mind boggling to begin with. Did I say it was a good brownie? A really good brownie? Well it was, but if I’m being perfectly honest… not necessarily the best brownie I ever ate. But wait…

In an effort to preserve this box of six rather large brownies until my Mom and sister come to visit on Wednesday, I decided to throw the box in the fridge last night. I also put one brownie in the freezer for extra preservation in case the others go bad. Go bad? What am I saying? I mean in case they get eaten… by me… the Sweets Fiend!

Anyway, where was I? Oh, right! O-M-G! This is the best freakin’ brownie ever! Why the change of heart you ask? These brownies are so moist and fudgey. I ate one straight from the fridge in all of it’s cool, chocolatey awesomeness. Seriously good. I’ve never had a brownie straight from the fridge, but I’m never going back to those subpar warm ones. (I’ll probably get hate mail for that jab.)

This is the best brownie I’ve ever had. Chilled, of course.

Thanks to my amazing husband for making my chocolate fantasies come true. You are the best!

Order your very own brownies here. Next, I’d like the Baker’s Choice box!

Recently, my husband and I decided to try Cafe 222 a couple blocks from our new place. Little did we know it was featured on an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate where Bobby Flay raved about the Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast.

We arrived around 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon last Saturday. Had to wait about 10 minutes or so. It’s a small place so you’ll have to wait, but had a super friendly and helpful staff. While we waited, I started looking over the menu only to see a TON of things I wanted try!

My husband ordered the “famous” Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast, but really wasn’t impressed. I think he said, “Bobby Flay doesn’t know what he’s talking about…” or something similar. Maybe it was an off day for the french toast, but it was gone before I even could ask for a bite! I guess it wasn’t that bad.

I settled on Eggs Italia, but soon called the server back to order a Sweet Corn Waffle as well. My, oh my, was that ever a good decision. While the Eggs Italia were tasty, it was far too much food for me. I would have preferred the dish sans bread and potatoes. There was nothing really special about them. The eggs were scrambled with goat cheese, tomatoes and pesto. Quite tasty.

Now, let’s talk about that waffle. It was so very good. Basically, a cornbread waffle. Yep, that’s right. I drizzled just a little syrup over it as I munched away, and I my mouth was quite pleased. I would most definitely get that again.

Overall, we liked this place. It’s fun with mostly outdoor seating, and it’s very affordable for being a downtown San Diego restaurant. We’d try it again. Good for breakfast if you are in the area.

Yesterday, while exploring downtown San Diego, we stumbled up Heavenly Cupcake. Mind you this was right after we just finished Pinkberry. Now, I approached the cupcakes with caution, knowing that it would take all my will power to resist their charms and advances. I believe I could have resisted had I been alone, but Dustin was while me. As soon as he saw the Vanilla Caramel, he was in cupcake lust. Naturally, if he gets one, I have to try one too, right?

Let me just say, I am a HUGE fan of chocolate and orange together, and this Orange Chip Cupcake did not disappoint. The cupcake itself (sans icing) was so moist and tasty all on it’s own. The icing only enhanced the flavors adding a richness. I haven’t been eating sugar much lately so I took it easy on the icing. Even so, I was in a major sugar coma by the last bite! YUM!

We even got a Pupcake for Bonsai!

Heavenly Cupcake (Get it? Topped with little halos.) is located at 518 6th Avenue between Island Avenue & Market Street.

Many other flavors look and sound so good. Can’t wait to try them all. Good thing we live here now. I would hate to have to eat all of them at once!

I love cabbage. It’s cheap. It’s healthy. It’s versatile.

I’ve been making this recipe for months now. It’s so quick and easy. This has become one of my favorite ways to eat cabbage! Thanks, Martha Stewart Living Magazine, January 2010.

It’s such an elegant way to serve cabbage. Slice a few lemon wedges for guests to squeeze over the finished dish. Would be fabulous served with a whole roasted chicken. Maybe add another veggie side or a fresh spring salad. Yum!

You can find the recipe for Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Olive Oil and Lemon here.

The only addition I made to mine was to use McCormick’s Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder. It’s the perfect combination of seasonings for this lovely, mild vegetable.

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How will you be spending your holiday weekend? Are you making yummy food?

I’ll be spending the weekend with my family and trying out these recipes for Sunday Breakfast. Updates to follow!

Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

Zucchini and Green Chili Breakfast Casserole

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Happy Easter Easter/Passover Everyone! Have a great weekend…

I adore avocados! Don’t you? So creamy and fresh. I love them sliced with a dash of lime or lemon juice and a little salt & pepper. Simply delicious!

I also love them on a crostini. Here I’ve topped my crostinis with a little sour cream, homemade salsa verde, diced avocado and cilantro with a squeeze of lime juice. The flavors are so lovely together. The creaminess of the avocado and sour cream with the crunchy toasted baguette slice… heaven!

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Have a great spring weekend! I’ll be up to even more spring cleaning… so far, I’ve deep cleaned and organized the kitchen, rearranged and updated our bedroom and home office, and made two trips to drop off donations, maybe one more in our weekend outlook. Feels good to purge!

I had never made a pot pie before. As much as I love the comforting idea of a pot pie, it seems they have to be super fattening to be tasty. Not so! This healthier version is a nice comforting winter treat.

I’d come across a recipe in a recent Health magazine for a Chicken Pot Pie filled with leftover roasted root vegetables. Of course, I didn’t have what I needed. Not to mention, the chicken I prepared turned out to be bad (as in make-you-sick bad). At this point I was so frustrated and completely snowed in. We’d already walked to the grocery store a mile away… twice. I wasn’t about to trek out in two feet of snow…again!

Discouraged that my first pot pie would be less-than-perfect… I finished it anyway. I hate to waste food. To my complete surprise, this Yummy Veggie Pot Pie turned out to be absolute perfection! With every bite, I turned to my chef husband with such pride and satisfaction waiting for his stamp of approval. Even he loved it!

Yummy Veggie Pot Pie

WHAT I USED

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed, cut to fit dish(es) (I used about 1/3 of one sheet)
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% Lactaid milk
2 – 3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup roasted zucchini, cut into small cubes
1 cup roasted parsnips, cut into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 fresh sage leaves
1 large egg white, beaten

WHAT I DID

1. Place cubed zucchini and parsnips on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt & pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until tender. Depends on size of your cubes. Once veggies are done, raise over temp to 425 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, cook butter and oil in medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add flour, cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Continue whisking while adding milk in a slow stream; bring mixture to a simmer. Add thyme Simmer 5 minutes or until thickened.

3. Remove thyme sprigs. Stir in next 5 ingredients (through pepper). Spoon mixture into ovenproof dish. Take thawed puff pastry from fridge and cut piece to fit your dish. Work quickly, minimizing handling of pastry. Press pastry to outer edge of dish to seal. Place 2 sage leaves on top. Brush with egg white.

4. Bake pot pie on a baking sheet in center of oven for 17-19 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serve hot!

*Our puff pastry was a little underdone on the inside so you might bake a little longer, but keep an eye on it. You don’t want it to burn!

**I used a dish to yield 2 larger servings. I did not have individual dishes. This would make 3-4 1-cup servings if you have individual dishes.

Printer-friendly version of Yummy Veggie Pot Pie!

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is! Can’t wait to make this again. Feel free to use any combination of veggies. This would be great with so many varieties. Winter squash might be nice. Mmm…

Happy Weekend everyone!

This is one of my favorite meals. It’s incredibly easy, but so elegant and tasty. What more could you ask for? I have to thank my husband for introducing this recipe to me. He made it for me once or twice, and I was hooked!

Is this a galette or tart? We’ll call it a galette. Sounds fancier!What is so great about this recipe is that you could substitute an vast array of ingredients for the filling. All sorts of vegetables would be so lovely nestled in this rustic galette. I cannot say that I have tried any other combos in this galette since I’m totally in love with the tomatoes!

Rustic Tomato Galette
2 Meal Portions / 4 Side Portions

WHAT I USED

1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust, or homemade
2-3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices, seeds removed
Small handful of fresh herbs, basil or thyme are personal favorites
1/4 cup Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise for brushing
McCormick Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder

WHAT I DID

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

3. Place pie crust on baking sheet. Store-bought is easier since there is no rolling involved.

4. Brush the pie crust with some of the mayonnaise.  Season with kosher salt, pepper and Italian Herb Seasoning grinder.

5. Working from the center of crust, begin placing your tomato slices in layers. Season each layer with kosher salt, pepper and Italian Herb Seasoning grinder as well as some of your herbs. If you love basil, use more. This is up to your tastes. It will add lovely flavor, don’t be shy!

6. Continue layering tomatoes and seasoning until you’ve used up your slices. Season with kosher salt, pepper, Italian Herb Seasoning grinder and remaining herbs.

7. To close up your galette, start by folding the two sides onto tomato mound. Press into the mound gently, try not to tear the dough. Next, fold up the front and back pieces. You can simply fold it up, or try to overlay the pieces to make a nice design. It doesn’t matter, it will taste great either way! Try to close it completely, but if you have too much filling, don’t worry. It’s just as lovely and tasty if it doesn’t cover your entire tomato mound.

8. Brush a good amount of mayonnaise over the entire galette. If you’ve got an opening, brush onto tomatoes as well. Be sure to get into all the cracks and folds. This will add flavor and give your galette a glistening brown appearance. Season with kosher salt, pepper and Italian Herb Seasoning grinder.

9. Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating once during cooking. Juices will run from the bottom, but no worries. Allow to rest and cool for 15-20 minutes. You can slice and serve from the baking sheet or carefully place entire galette onto a lovely platter.

This makes two nice dinner portions or four side portions.

Want to print this recipe? Click here.

Have a great weekend!