Celebrate Mothers Day with a Cheesy Puff

Cheesy Frypan Puff

Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, grandmothers, great-grandmothers!!!! When Mothers Day arrives not only is it a special time to celebrate those nearest and dearest to us but it seems to be the weekend when I finally give up comfort foods for good and I’m ready to move into summer food and barbecuing. While summer may be in the air, it hasn’t fully reached our markets yet. 



Spring is when everything seems to come alive!!!!! The days are longer and the markets are bursting with the colours of the bountiful fruits and vegetables of the season. This is the time to enjoy fresh rhubarb, sweet garden peas and furled fiddleheads. It is the season for asparagus and escarole and a wide variety of lettuce hand plucked from the garden for green salads. The delightful fragrance of chives, mint, chervil and tarragon fill the air to season your dishes. All of these tastes of Spring are bursting from our gardens, forests, markets and window boxes.

Early this morning I headed down to my own little plot in our local community garden and planted my first seeds. It seemed fitting to do so on Mothers Day which reminds me of renewal and rebirth. Being a condo dweller it has been years since I have had my hands deep in the moist, loamy soil. It felt good to plant my seedlings with my dreams of a lush garden patch. Tomatoes and more tender plants above ground will wait a few more weeks to avoid the possibility of frost. As with our children we nurture and watch them grow into adulthood.


This recipe is so simple and very much like a savoury Dutch pancake in method. It is so easy to make that even young kids could have a sense of accomplishment, with a little supervision in using the hot oven. It looks so dramatic when it first comes out of the oven that it’s well worth the little effort required to see the smiles on those little faces. 


Today I made it with sharp Canadian Cheddar but you could use any cheese you have on hand. I think it would be lovely with some fresh goats cheese and some fresh herbs as well. A green salad on the side and brunch or lunch is ready when Mom is. Since it’s a special occasion, a refreshing glass of Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve 2010 Sauvignon Blanc would be most welcome, but not if you are headed out the door as we are. Happy Mothers Day to one and all!!!!

**Cheesy Frypan Puff**

from Jude's Kitchen 

1/2 cup (125 ml) sharp cheddar

3 eggs

1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

1/2 cup (125 ml) flour

1/4 tsp. (1 ml) salt

1 tbsp. (15 ml) butter

Pre-heat the oven to 425 F.

Use a 10-inch cast iron frypan or a frypan that can go into a hot oven without damaging the handle.

Grate the cheddar and set aside. Beat the eggs with a whisk, then add the milk, flour and salt and beat again until the batter is nice and smooth.

Melt the butter in the frypan over a medium-hot burner, swirl it around the bottom of the pan and pour the batter into the hot pan. Top evenly with the grated cheddar and put directly into the hot oven.

It should rise to be billowy and will brown nicely on top in about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately as it will fall as soon as it starts to cool. Slice into wedges to serve.

Serves 2 to 4.

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