Last week I had two longtime friends visiting. My one friend is vegetarian so I decided to prepare brunch. I served fruit salad, Cheesy Egg Roulade, Delores’s Apple Puff Pancake Pie,  breakfast sausage, Butter Pecan Scones and Orange Cranberry Bread.

The Apple Puff Pancake Pie is actually a Dutch baby with fruit. For the recipe you’ll need granulated sugar, cinnamon, eggs, milk, lemon zest, all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, tart apples and confectioners’ sugar.

I started by preheating my oven to 450°. Next, the apples were peeled and quartered then sautéed in a cast-iron skillet with butter. While they cooked, in a medium bowl I whisked the eggs, milk and lemon zest. Next, the flour was blended into the liquid mixture. 

When the apples were tender, I poured the batter over the apples and baked it for approximately 20 minutes until the pie puffed up high. While the pancake baked, I melted my remaining butter. The pie was removed from the oven and the butter was drizzled on top followed by a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. The pie baked an additional five minutes to allow the sugar mixture to bubble. Before serving you could garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar, but I left that step out.

The Apple Puff Pancake was scrumptious. Instead of using a tart Granny Smith apple, I chose to use Honeycrisp. These apples are sweet with a light tang, They’re a crunchy, juicy and have a “snap” when you bite into them. The Honeycrisp apple gave the pancake a delightful flavor and the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top added just a little more sweetness, but didn’t overpower the taste. My girlfriends really enjoyed this.

The Cheesy Egg Roulade was a great way for everyone to have eggs, but can be prepared ahead. I had the egg mixture ready in a bowl, I shredded the cheese and had the spinach cooked and squeezed dry. Just before my friends were to due arrive, I assembled the roulade and it was done just as they walked in the door. This was the first time I made a full recipe in a 9-inch x 13-inch rimmed sheet pan. It’s supposed to be done cooking in nine minutes, however, mine wasn’t quite set. I don’t know what I did wrong, but after this, it makes we want to prepare it in two smaller pans. However, it didn’t deter us and my friends enjoyed this preparation. The scones and orange cranberry bread were also a hit.

For the first time this season, I purchased a pound of scallops at Jersey Shore Lobster Brothers. I gave my husband a choice of two different preparations; he preferred Melissa Clark’s recipe for Buttery Scallops with Lemon and Herbs. Besides the scallops you’ll need salt, pepper, unsalted butter, garlic cloves, fresh thyme, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and soft herbs such as basil, chives, mint or cilantro that will be used for garnishing.

This recipe takes just 15 minutes to prepare. The scallops are seasoned on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large non-stick skillet, you’ll melt your butter over medium-high heat. The scallops are added to the hot pan in a single layer and left untouched for approximately 3 minutes or until the bottoms are brown. A bit more butter is added to the pan before turning over the scallops. Minced garlic and minced thyme is added to the pan and cooked until fragrant. Lemon juice is poured over the scallops with a sprinkling of lemon zest. A gentle toss is needed to combine the ingredients.

To serve, the scallops are sprinkled with red pepper flakes and I garnished my scallops with chopped chives and parsley from my garden.

Yum…what a fabulous and tasty dish. This simple and easy preparation really let the scallop shine. Layering the flavors of the herbs along with the lemon juice and zest made this simple preparation shine without fussiness. Overall, a scrumptious meal.

On a quick note, I recently came across someone’s post on Facebook listing places with happy hour at the Jersey shore. In the past I’ve tried Black Swan in Asbury Park, Klein’s Seafood Restaurant (Belmar), Pagano’s (Bradley Beach), Cross and Orange (Asbury Park) and more recently Rod’s Tavern in Sea Girt. We were on our way there last night, when we realized that they’ve adjusted the hours to now every day from 12-5:00 PM (Bar Only). Although there are two bars at Rod’s, you need to sit at the bar on the right side of the building. In the past we’ve had the coconut-shrimp, buffalo wings, cheeseburger sliders and southern chicken sliders; all were delicious and made for a nice light supper. Sometimes my husband and I just enjoy sharing several small plates instead of a full entree.

As we missed happy hour the other night, we decided to go anyway for a casual meal. We shared Summer Burrata with a tomato basil relish, garden pesto, balsamic reduction on grilled semolina crostini. The burrata was divine with its silky, creamy center; a must try. My husband enjoyed their Greek Salad with grilled shrimp and I had the Piled High Flounder sandwich (no bread). It’s a great place for a casual meal and won’t necessarily break the bank.

Tata for now!

Delores's Apple Puff Pancake Pie

Recipe courtesy of Delores Custer

From the Food Network Show “Cooking Live”

Level: Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: one 10-inch pie

Ingredients

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided

2 tart apples (Granny Smith), peeled, quartered, and sliced 1/4-inch-thick

Sifted confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and set out a deep 10-inch ovenproof skillet (cast-iron is best). In a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar with the cinnamon and set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, milk and lemon zest. Blend in the flour just until mixed (the batter will be slightly lumpy).
3. In the skillet, melt 1/4 cup of the butter over medium heat. Add the apples and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. Pour the egg batter over the apples and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the apples are tender and the pie puffs up high.
4. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter. Remove the skillet from the oven, drizzle the puff pie with the butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Return the pie to the oven for 5 minutes or until the sugar mixture is bubbly. Sprinkle with a little confectioners' sugar and serve immediately, right from the skillet.