So this isn’t about Maine (though I did make this dish here in Maine and it is in my cookbook) but more about photography and how just the right lighting, contrast and reflection can make a photo pop! The shine of the glaze fascinates me, and this food is 100% natural! The plums are roasted with honey and the skins give off this beautiful pink juice. They tasted great too, by the way…
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Serves 10 to 14
Batter:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Filling:
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 stick butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the two sticks of butter and sugar in a mixer and beat with a paddle attachment for about a minute. Add the sour cream and eggs and mix until smooth. Fold in the vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour just under half of the batter into a well greased Bundt pan.
Melt the half stick of butter. Mix it together with the cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans, Pour the mixture on top of the batter in the center. Layer the remaining batter.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan. (If you’re making muffins or in 9×12 pan, reduce the baking time to about 35-40 minutes.)
Keeps fresh for several days and freezes well to do ahead!!!
The recipe is in my cookbook, The Art of Breakfast
From The Art of Breakfast…
Chive and Cream Cheese Scrambled Eggs in Wonton
This is a fun and delightful way to serve simple, scrambled eggs. Add salsa, cheddar, and some crumbled spicy sausage and you have a nice Latin inspired breakfast.
Serves 4
16 wonton wrappers
12 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 bunch scallions,trimmed 1 inch from top and bottom, using both white and green parts, sliced 1/8-1/4 inch thick
one (8-ounce) package cream cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Coat a popover pan with butter or vegetable oil. Take 3 to 4 wonton wrappers for each popover cavity and line it, overlapping the wrappers. Be sure to get a wrapper into the bottom.
Bake until the tops are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Then cover carefully with foil and bake another 15 minutes. This allows the wonton wrapper inside the pan to continue browning without over browning the edges. Let the wrappers sit to cool a few minutes and place each on individual serving plate.
Mix the eggs and the cream in blender for 5 seconds.
Coat a large frying pan with butter or vegetable oil. Over medium heat, pour the eggs and scallions into pan and slowly cook until eggs are almost scrambled.
Add the cream cheese in small dollops and continue to cook until the eggs are set, just another minute or so. Add salt and pepper to taste
To serve, portion one-fourth of the eggs in each wonton cup. You could serve this version with salsa on the side with a few slices of ripe avocado and fresh heirloom tomatoes.
Kitchen Tools: popover pans are designed specifically with a lip that forces the popover up and out to expand, creating the signature balloon shaped top. The pan works perfectly in this recipe since it’s tall and holds the wonton wrappers in place vertically.
I halved a fresh fig, dipped it into Vanilla Bean Creme (recipe in The Art of Breakfast) and then into raw sugar and torched! Add a drizzle of the creme on top and voila, a beautiful, delicious garnish or even small bite for dessert.
I have to admit, I don’t often enjoy low calorie or healthy stuff as much as the tastes good bad for you stuff, but this is absolutely delicious and refreshing for summer!
Here’s what I’ve come up with:
My afternoon in the Danforth Inn’s kitchen with Meredith Goad, food writer for the Portland Press Herald was fun and delicious. My first video (photographers are usually behind the camera) seems a tad boring to me but I’ll work on it for next time.
The Danforth’s kitchen seems home to me, it’s one of Kim Swan’s inns and the one where I hold the Art of Breakfast cooking workshops for Maine’s Innkeeping Academy that we started a little over a year ago.
I love to show how combining simple ingredients in unique ways can elevate breakfast and add a touch of sophistication.
Ah, the lost Art of Breakfast?
I thought I would post a blueberry recipe today since I just found a link to my blog from WildBlueberryHealthBlog.com today. They named me their #5 food blogger for us foodies infatuated with Maine!
White Chocolate Chip Blueberry Oatmeal Cookie
Makes about 36
Ingredients
1 stick butter, softened
¾ cups sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup medium cut oats (not quick cooking)
2 cups flour
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup fresh Maine blueberries (if using frozen, allow to thaw and drain completely; or you can use non-Maine blueberries if you have to)
Preheat oven to 350
Directions
In mixing bowl combine butter, sour cream and sugars in mix on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and mix until smooth.
Add baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and salt to mixture and combine.
Fold in oats, then flour and mix until just blended. Fold in white chocolate chips.
Drop onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheet by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until puffed and barely dry to the touch. Try not to allow the cookie to brown.
These are actually soft enough to make in small muffin tins.
I can’t tell you what adding malted milk powder does to the recipe scientifically, I can tell you it does wonders for the yumminess! Recipe will be in the cookbook! Stay tuned 
