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.

To Brine or Not to Brine....

Trouble with food that comes out dry and not flavorful as you would like. Try a brine.

A brine is simply a salt water solution but any liquid can be used as the base. Brines work by osmosis bringing seasonings and added moisture into the brined meat. I will often use a milk-based brine for fried chicken.

Basic Brine
4 cups water (or liquid combination of your choice)
1/4 cup kosher or sea salt
1 T freshly ground black pepper

Going beyond the basic, you can be as creative as you like. Chopped garlic is makes it's way in to the majority of my brines; 2-4 cloves is a good starting amount. Other favorites are whole peppercorn varieties and dried oregano and basil. Apple juice in the place of water is good for pork or chicken; I'll share a new recipe for a apple juice brine very soon.

Try a brine for your next meal dish; I think you will be very pleased with the results. Even if you overcook your food (use a meat thermometer to avoid this), it will still have the flavor of everything you put in the brine.

Spicy Sunday

Need a pick me up but don't have the money for a day at the spa. Head over to Penzeys Spices; they have just thing to rejuvenate your inner gourmet after a stressful week. If you are lucky enough to have one of their retail stores near you, you will find the most relaxing shopping environment. Even though Penzeys is a chain, they have not lost that small town store feel. I noticed on by visit today, the clerk was stamping Penzeys Spices in green and purple on to brown paper bags by hand. Penzeys sets itself apart from other stores by providing apothecary jars filled with their spice selections allowing you to smell exactly what you are buying. They also have extensive gift set collection which are perfect for anyone from the occaissonal cook to the culinarily obsessed. If you are in the Richmond, VA area, you will find Penzeys in Carytown just past the McDonalds. Why are you still in your seat? I think it's high time for a spice run.

How was your Broad Appetit?

Did you make it? Did you survive? Or were you like me?

This being my first time, I found that all my thoughts on how to handle the event were instantly thrown out the window.

First sample was a Beef Croquet from 1N Belmont; it was tasty but the inner texture was some what lacking. It should be noted that I have never had a croquet of any kind so the texture issue may be normal for such an item.

Seafire Grill had some tasty shrimp. Wish I had went back for more after sampling from a friend's plate.

Acacia Midtown's Sugar Toads (fried puffer fish) was probably the most exotic item of the day.

The folks at The Black Sheep brought a Weber charcoal grill with them; that scores points with me right off. Plus, the grilled lamb was delicious.

Bistro 27's shrimp skewers were perfectly grilled.

Cafe Rustica had a crab cake served on a croissant that was absolutely divine.

Weezie's conch salad was a nice surprise with a bit of spice.

There was so much food; it was impossible to get to it all. I was upset that I did not get to try Savor's Asian style mini pork barbecue sandwiches. What were your favorite restaurants? What Richmond restaurants do you wish had been at Broad Appetit?

Broad Appétit & You

If you are on your way to Broad Appétit today, here are a few tips to get you through the frenzy.

• Travel in groups -- Find friends to go with you and alternate paying for samples.
• Survey first -- Park at one end of the event and walk to the other end making note of the places you want to try.
• Breathe -- It's not as if you won't be doing this but 50 restaurants is a lot to handle in one day. So pace yourself.
• Enjoy -- This event only happens once a year. So take in what you can and get ready for next year.

I'll let you know my thoughts on the event and the restaurants I will have to give a return trip.


Also check out the Richmond Men's Chorus concert, We Are Family Music from the '70s, at 4PM at the Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center, 2880 Mountain Rd, Glen Allen, VA.