Puffed Apple Pancake

Ingredients:

• 2 medium or 3 small tart apples, sliced thinly
• 1 T butter
• 1 cup milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 1/2 T brown sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• powdered sugar

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F
2. Rub the sides of a 10-inch baking pan or castiron skillet with butter, and put 1 T of butter in the bottom of the pan
3. Put the pan in the oven until the butter melts, then add the apples with a sprinkle of cinnamon and mix with the butter
4. Bake the apples for 10 minutes, until soft
5. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining ingredients (except the flour and powdered sugar) in a bowl until blended
6. Whisk in the flour, then pour the batter over the apples and bake an additional 18-20 minutes, until the pancake is puffy and golden
7. Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the pancake with powdered sugar, and serve

Serves 2

Salad with Steak, Blue Cheese, Walnuts, Dried Cranberries, and Raspberry Dressing

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb flank steak, seasoned and marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 5 oz salad mix
• Raspberry dressing, to taste

Steps:

1. Grill the steak until medium rare and let rest 5-10 minutes
2. Mix remaining ingredients together and toss salad with dressing to taste
3. Thinly slice the steak and place on salad
4. Sprinkle with additional blue cheese if desired

Serves 2

Chocolate Olive Oil Pancakes

Adapted from a recipe in Made in Spain by José Andrés

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 T sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1/2 T vanilla extract
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk (or milk with 1 T lemon juice)
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Steps:

1. Mix first six ingredients together in a large bowl
2. Whisk in vanilla, egg, buttermilk, and olive oil until the batter is smooth, then stir in the chocolate
3. Ladle about 1/4 cup per pancake on a lightly oiled nonstick skillet or on an electric griddle and cook on both sides until golden brown and cooked through
4. Serve warm with berries or caramelized bananas and honey or maple syrup

Linguine with Lobster, Spicy Cherry Tomato Sauce, and Mint

Inspired by a recipe from The Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb linguine
• 2 spiny lobster tails, cooked and chopped
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• red chili flakes, to taste
• About 1/4 cup mint, sliced

Steps:

1. Cook linguine in a pot of boiling salted water until just short of al dente
2. While bringing water to a boil, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until softened, then add wine and boil until reduced
3. Add halved tomatoes, chili flakes, S&P, and mint, and simmer until reduced to a sauce-like consistency
4. Add pasta and lobster to sauce and cook until pasta is al dente
5. Adjust seasoning and add mint as necessary

Serves 2

Shaved Fennel, Blood Orange, and Castelvetrano Olive Salad

For Salad:

• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 blood orange and 1 navel orange, segmented and juice reserved
• 10 castelvetrano olives
• Mache

For Dressing:

• Olive oil
• Reserved juice
• Citrus vinegar or other light vinegar (such as champagne or pomegranate vinegar)
• Mint, thinly sliced (optional)

To Assemble:

1. Whisk olive oil, reserved juice, salt, pepper, mint, and enough vinegar to reach desired acidity  
2. Toss with salad and serve

Serves 2 as a light appetizer