Grilled Pineapple Upside-down Cake

I love to grill and I love baking cakes. So I had to try the grilled pineapple upside down cake in the new book Weber's Way to Grill. I had the chance to make the cake for a party this past Sunday and received several compliments. My only problem with the current recipe is the amount of batter is not enough to fill the pan. I've since remade the cake with double the batter amounts and found it works a lot better than printed. Feel free to try it either way.

New Batter Amounts

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
4 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar

Get the full recipe with two others here: Weber fruit recipes

School's Now in Session

Chef Tell is about to embark on a new adventure...cooking school. Well, I will be taking a few classes at least. I will be studying at University of Richmond's Culinary Arts Center and working towards their CAP certificate. My first required course is Tools of the Trade.



This evening, July 23rd, you will find me at 9722 Gayton Rd. in the Gayton Crossing Shopping Center. Hopefully, I will be able to pass along some of what I learn.

Chicken Salad PicNic

Looking for an inexpensive date this summer but don't want to look cheap. Try my elegant yet simple chicken salad recipe paired with some fresh fruit and your date will be impressed beyond belief.

Ingredients

• 13oz can Chicken breast, shredded
• 1 stalk celery, halved lengthwise & chopped
• 1 cup apple (Granny Smith or Jonagold), finely diced
• 1/4 cup almond slices (honey roasted if available)
• 1 cup Miracle Whip or mayo
• 2T honey mustard dressing
• 1T honey
• Salt
• Fresh ground pepper

When opening the can of chicken, pour it into a mesh strainer and rinse with cold water befre placing in bowl to shred. Use a fork to break the chunks of chicken into shreds.

Wash the celery stalk and chop a little bit off both ends. Cut the stalk in half down the middle then slice as fine as possible. If you can't get the slices very fine, don't worry; this only proves you made it yourself.

Peel, core and chop the apple. I will tell that each time I try this I seem to find a different way of getting the size dice I want. I start by slicing the cored apple to look like doughnut slices. Stack the slices then cut thin strips in one direction then again at 90 degrees.

Add almond slices. Mix and season with salt and pepper.


I like Miracle Whip but feel free to use mayo. Add the honey mustard honey and mix well. Season again with salt and pepper until the taste is to your liking. Want to class this up even more? Cut 2- 4 T fresh herbs (parsley, basil, tarragon) and add to salad.

Serve the chicken salad on your favorite bread. Normally, I go with toasted white bread but I was feeling adventurous and tried two new types: sourdough and a sweet italian roll. I did not like the sourdough because it over powered the salad, but the italian roll was perfect having a sweetness that was a nice compliment. Some other outstanding bread choices for chicken salad include croissants and brioche (loaf if you can get it).

Wrap the sandwiches in aluminum foil and take to your picnic.