Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Cloud Eggs

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Cindy Kerschner

Cloud Eggs.Whipped egg whites cradle soft yolks in this fun take on sunny up eggs. These fluffy freeform clouds bake in under 10 minutes. Customize whites with cheese, ham or bacon, or vegetables like peppers and onions. Sometimes I like mine on an English muffin or wholegrain toast for breakfast. Top a burger with a Cloud Egg for added richness.

Cloud Eggs

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings 1 each

Ingredients

2 eggs, large
2 tablespoons shredded cheese, cheddar or Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon fresh herbs (parsley, thyme or cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray. Separate eggs by placing yolks into individual small bowls and whites into one medium-sized bowl to whip. Use a hand mixer to beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold in cheese.
Spoon egg whites into 2 mounds on prepared baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to gently make an indent in the centers for the yolk to nest. Bake until lightly golden and set, about 3 minutes.
Carefully place an egg yolk into center of each nest and season with salt, pepper and herbs. Bake until yolks are set, about an additional 3 minutes. Eat alone or serve over toast or English muffin.

Tips: Easily change the flavor of cloud eggs with a bit of spice. Try a dash of smoked paprika or a splash of hot sauce to liven breakfast.

Try one of these other egg treats for breakfast, brunch or brinner.

Smoked Eggs Over Asparagus

Smoked Eggs Over Asparagus Platter #BrunchWeek

Eggs Benedict
easy eggs benny

Posted in asparagus, breakfast, brunch, egg, What's For Dinner? | 1 Comment

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread #FamilyBakingChallenge

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Cindy Kerschner

I received produce from Melissa’s Produce Company to use in recipes. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread makes breakfast and snacking a treat. Dried cranberries and persimmons blended with warm garam masala spice. Pecans add some crunch. Top it off a cream cheese frosting.

It’s time to get your baking heads on! Melissa’s Produce Company is sponsoring the #FamilyBakingChallenge for fun and prizes! It’s easy to enter to win over $5000 in cash and baking supply prizes.
Melissa’s is partnering with Challenge Butter, Bigger Bolder Baking, Good Cook, KitchenAid and Bob’s Red Mill to offer fantastic cash and prize packages. Get the details here.

Week three of this six week challenge includes this Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread recipe.

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread

You can find the original Persimmon Bread recipe from Melissa’s here.

Why did I pick garam masala for a quick bread? True, it’s a spice combination that originated in India and used mainly for meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. Baking? Why not!
Combining spices like coriander, cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon as warm baking spices, works for me. These flavors blend well with sweet persimmons like the pumpkin persimmons from Melissa’s.

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread

Melissa’s Produce sweet Pumpkin Persimmons are pumpkin in color only! Orange tint is so festive for these desserts. Learn more about this tasty fruit here.

persimmons

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced persimmons
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup toasted pecans
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a non-stick loaf pan with cooking spray.
Cream together butter and sugar. add egg, vanilla and orange extract. Mix well.
Add dry ingredients, mix well. Fold in persimmon, cranberries and pecans. Bake for about 45 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cream together butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar to form frosting. Spread frosting on top of cooled bread.

If you like persimmons try my Persimmon Ginger Orange Creme Brûlée

Persimmon Ginger Orange Creme Brulee

Posted in baking, breakfast, brunch, cranberry, dessert, What's For Dinner? | Tagged persimmon | 10 Comments

Persimmon Ginger Orange Creme Brûlée #FamilyBakingChallenge

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Cindy Kerschner

I received produce from Melissa’s Produce Company to use in recipes. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.

Persimmon Ginger Orange Creme Brûlée serves sweet pumpkin persimmons baked with fresh ginger and a hint of orange in a creamy, rich dessert. Break through the crunchy caramelized sugar crust and enjoy.

Week two of this six week challenge includes this Sweet Pumpkin Persimmon and Ginger Creme Brûlée recipe. You can find the original recipe here from Gemma at Bigger Bolder Baking.

This was my first attempt at making Creme Brûlée. The original recipe helped make it easy for me to try. I even bought a butane torch just for the occasion. I was not disappointed!

Persimmon Ginger Orange Creme Brulee

A few tips to make a better Creme Brûlée:

If you are adding fruit, strain the custard through cheesecloth lined fine sieve. It will look like just liquid, but this set up smooth and silky as a Creme Brûlée.
Use hot, hot water for your water bath. The hotter the water the more even cooking.
Gently torch the sugar crust just to a golden brown. I used super fine sugar but regular sugar is okay too.

Melissa’s Produce sweet Pumpkin Persimmons are pumpkin in color only! Orange tint is so festive for these desserts. Learn more about this tasty fruit here.
I topped these desserts with a bit of crystalized ginger and orange zest for added bursts of flavor.
Persimmon Ginger Orange Creme Brulee

Persimmon Ginger Orange Creme Brûlée

Print Recipe

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

2 persimmons (I used Melissa's Sweet Pumpkin Persimmons)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon peeled fresh ginger
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
4 tablespoons extra fine sugar for Brûlée topping
1 tablespoon orange zest for decoration
1 tablespoon thin slices crystalized ginger for decoration

Instructions

Peel and chop persimmons into small pieces.
In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, bring cream, persimmons, ginger to a simmer. Remove from heat and add orange extract. Allow persimmon to steep for about 30 minutes at room temperature to infuse flavor.
blend cooled mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together yolks and sugar until light and lemon colored, about 1 minute. Gently fold in cream mixture.
Lay cheesecloth over a sieve and strain custard base through it to remove persimmon pulp and ensure a silky smooth Brûlée.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place 3 6-ounce Creme Brûlée or shallow dishes in a roasting pan. Pour custard into dishes and place pan on middle rack in the oven. Pour hot water into pan about halfway up the sides of the custard filled dishes. Bake until set but still jiggly in the center (about 35 to 40 minutes. be careful to not overbake. Custard will set up the rest of the way as it cools. Remove from water bath and cool at room temperature about 15 minutes before refrigerating. Cool in refrigerator at least 2 hours and up to 2 days before applying sugar crust.
Brûlée tops by sprinkling a thin layer of super fine (regular sugar is okay too) evenly over the top. Torch by passing flame in small circles, over the top. Sugar should start to bubble. Apply flame just long enough to brown. Crust will harden as it cools. Add zest and crystal ginger if desired.

Check out another recipe entry in the #FamilyBakingChallenge , Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings.

Posted in brunch, Christmas, dessert, fall, ginger, holiday, What's For Dinner? | Tagged creme brulee, persimmon | 9 Comments

Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings #FamilyBakingChallenge

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Cindy Kerschner

I received produce from Melissa’s Produce Company to use in recipes. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.
Butterscotch Pears show off a festive butterscotch colored skin. These pecan stuffed pears bake to perfection in delicate, buttery, flaky dough pockets.
Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings
It’s time to get your baking heads on! Melissa’s Produce Company is sponsoring the #FamilyBakingChallenge for fun and prizes! It’s easy to enter to win over $5000 in cash and baking supply prizes.
Melissa’s is partnering with Challenge Butter, Bigger Bolder Baking, Good Cook, KitchenAid and Bob’s Red Mill to offer fantastic cash and prize packages. Get the details here.

Week one of this 6 week challenge includes this Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings recipe.

Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings

Butterscotch pears are from Korea. These pears have a delicate taste and hold up as cooked or eat them raw. Learn more about them here.

Original recipe supplied for the contest by Gemma Stafford of Bigger Bolder Baking Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings.

My take on this recipe add a touch of cinnamon to the pecan mixture and a pinch of cinnamon to the sugar sprinkle. It’s just enough to make the flavors pop!

Tender dough is the key to this recipe.

pear dumpling cut

pear dumpling dough

Here’s some tips to get perfect, flaky pie dough:

Use the coldest butter to crumble with flour to make the “crumbs” that start the dough. Warmer butter won’t form the tiny air pockets pie dough needs to be flaky. Instead, warm butter will be absorbed by the flour and make a tough, dense crust.
Spare the water. It is so important to create moist but not soggy crusts. Add just enough water, a little at a time to make the dough pliable.
Don’t overwork the dough. Too much kneading will make it tough.
Chill the dough for at least an hour before rolling out.

Follow the hashtag #FamilyBakingChallenge on social media for all the news and challenge recipe creations!

Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter, diced
6-8 tablespoons ice water
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon divided
3 Butterscotch pears, peeled and halved
egg wash
1/4 cup sugar
caramel sauce, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in cold butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough is soft and pliable. Gently knead into a round. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
In a small bowl, combine pecans, melted butter, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
Scoop out the core of each pear and fill with pecan mixture.
Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll the dough into 1/8-inch circles.
Place one stuffed pear side up, half on each circle. Gently fold dough around the pear and seal. trim off excess dough and save for decorating.
Place pastry wrapped pears, sealed side down on parchment lined sheet. Brush each pastry with egg wash. Decorate if desired. Sprinkle with sugar and reserved cinnamon.
Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes until crust is golden brown. Cool about 20 minutes. Serve warm drizzled with caramel if desired.